Pourthiaea villosa has antioxidant properties that protect human dermal fibroblasts from skin aging

In this study, researchers from South Korea and the U.S. investigated the antioxidant properties of Pourthiaea villosa (oriental photinia) extract. Their findings were published in the Journal of Medicinal Food.

• Skin aging is linked to an increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by human cells.
• Because they are the main contributors to premature aging, skin cells have developed antioxidant enzymes to protect themselves from the damage caused by ROS.
• Antioxidants play a critical role in preventing the signs of ROS-induced aging.
• The researchers treated human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells with the P. villosa extract (PVDE) to evaluate its antioxidant and anti-aging activities, and to determine the mechanisms behind them.
• They reported that PVDE showed significant antioxidant effects based on evaluations of its reducing power and ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activity.
• PVDE also significantly increased the expression of antioxidant enzymes and effectively blocked H2O2-induced matrix metalloproteinase activity by influencing the MAPK signaling pathways in HDFs.
• PVDE was found to contain active compounds like polyols, phenolic compounds and flavonoids.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that PVDE has potent antioxidant and anti-aging effects that can promote skin health.

Journal Reference:

Choi SI, Lee JS, Lee S, Cho BY, Choi SH, Han X, Sim W-S, Kim YC, Lee BY, Kang IJ et al. PROTECTIVE EFFECTS AND MECHANISMS OF POURTHIAEA VILLOSA (THUNB.) DECNE. EXTRACT ON HYDROGEN PEROXIDE-INDUCED SKIN AGING IN HUMAN DERMAL FIBROBLASTS. Journal of Medicinal Food. 06 August 2019;22(8):841–850. DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2018.4379