A new study has found that bioactive compounds in South Australia's native brown seaweed inhibit the breakdown of essential skin proteins and significantly increase collagen levels compared to commercially available anti-skin aging agents. This paves the way for the production of more effective natural health and skin care products. At a biological level, aging is the result of long-term accumulation of molecular and cellular damage, leading to a gradual decline in physical strength and intelligence and an increasing risk of disease.
South Australian brown seaweed found to have anti-aging benefits for skin
A major cause of skin aging is glycation, a natural chemical reaction between sugar molecules in the skin and collagen and elastin. This is a slow process that produces advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, which accumulate in the skin, causing it to become stiff and lose elasticity. The effects of glycation on collagen and elastin interfere with their skin repair mechanisms.
Anti-aging products produced by cosmetic companies often contain anti-aging agents, but their effectiveness is questionable and they can cause unwanted side effects. So researchers turned to plants with the natural ability to prevent AGEs from forming. New research from South Australia's Flinders University has found that local seaweed has anti-aging properties for the skin.
Zhang Wei, corresponding author of the study, said: "To date, anti-glycation agents have not been strong enough to have a significant impact on anti-aging, so our findings are really exciting because we can see the potential for stronger anti-glycation extracts from brown seaweed."
Endemic to South Australia, brown seaweed is a rich source of bioactive antioxidants, but few studies have investigated its anti-glycation properties. Researchers compared the anti-aging skin effects of three brown seaweeds (Ecklonia radiata (ER), Cystophoramoniliformis (CM) and Cystophorasiliquosa (CS)) with two controls, the anti-glycation candidate aminoguanidine and chloroglucoside, which is used as a skin moisturizer.
Seaweed is collected from the beach, washed to remove impurities, dried and ground into a powder. The powders were used to create extracts of three seaweed species and tested on human skin (dermal) fibroblast cell lines. Dermal fibroblasts are the predominant cell type in the dermis, the middle layer of skin composed of collagen, elastic tissue, and other extracellular components. They are responsible for creating connective tissue that allows the skin to recover from damage.
CM and CS extracts were less toxic to fibroblasts compared with ER extracts and controls, suggesting that these extracts can be used at higher concentrations. At a safe concentration of 500µg/ml, the inhibition rate of CM and CS extracts on glycation activity is about 65% to 90% compared to 20µg/ml of aminoguanidine (15%-40%) and chloroglucitol (15%-20%).
When assessing the stimulation of collagen and elastin levels, the researchers found that at safe concentrations up to 1,000µg/ml, CM and CS extracts increased collagen levels by 12-fold and 16-fold, respectively, compared to water. There was no significant increase in elastin.
Researchers studied the chemical composition of seaweed extracts to determine the drivers of these anti-aging skin effects. In addition to the high polysaccharide content, they found that phyllotannins, which accounted for 17% to 23% of CM and CS, may be responsible for the observed benefits. Previous research has demonstrated that green tannins, compounds found in brown seaweed, have antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-allergenic and anti-inflammatory properties.
"We found that extracts from South Australian brown seaweed have great potential and can be used to help delay skin aging. Seaweed is an important source of a variety of bioactive ingredients and has the potential to be used in natural health and skin care products," Zhang said.
Based on their findings, the researchers envision incorporating brown algae into anti-aging skin care and supplements. Zhang said: "Our discovery will help fill the knowledge gap to sustainably develop the use of brown algae in topical skin care products and supplements. We have applied for a patent and the team is looking for investors and industry partners to collaborate for further commercialization."
The research was published in the journal Algal Research.