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Handbook of diet, nutrition and the skin pp 68–90Cite as

Antioxidants and skin: an overview

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Part of the book series: Human Health Handbooks no. 1 ((HHH,volume 2))

Abstract

As the largest and outermost organ of the body, human skin is a continual target for chemical toxicity which has the potential to cause tissue damage. In combination with certain chemicals, the presence of additional or existing oxidative stress may exacerbate the degree of damage, due to photoactivation of the chemical. In addition, oxidative-stress per se is a known trigger for cellular pathology. Antioxidants are substances which prevent oxidative damage to cells and tissues. Endogenous enzymatic antioxidants include superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase; and nonenzymatic antioxidants include vitamins E and vitamin C, coenzyme Q10, glutathione, etc. However, oxidative imbalance will arise when such cellular defences are not able to counteract the rate at which free radicals are generated. An excess of free radicals will cause structural or functional damage to cellular macromolecules leading to perturbations in metabolism, functional impairment, necrosis or apoptosis. In this chapter, we review studies on the use of antioxidants on the skin.

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Abbreviations

8-OHdG:

8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine

ALA:

α-lipoic acid

ATP:

Adenosine triphosphate

BP:

Benz(a)pyrene

CAT:

Catalase

CEES:

2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide

CL:

Chemiluminescense

COX-2:

Cyclooxygenase-2

DHLA:

Dihydrolipoic acid

DMBA:

Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene

DNCB:

2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene

DOPA:

Dihydroxyphenylalanine

DPPH:

1,1- diphenyl- 2-picrylhydrazyl

ERK:

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase

FAK:

Focal adhesion kinase

Grb2:

Growth-factor receptor-bound protein 2

GSE:

Grape seed extract

GSH-Px:

Glutathione peroxidase

GSPs:

Grape seed proanthocyanidins

GPx:

Glutathione peroxidase

HD:

Sulfur mustard

HO-1:

Heme oxygenase-1

ICAM-1:

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1

ICD:

Irritant contact dermatitis

IFN:

Interferon

IGF-1:

Insulin-like growth factor-1

IKKα:

IkappaB kinase alpha

IL:

Interleukin

IL-12-KO:

IL-12p40 knockout

iNOS:

Inducible NO synthase

JNK:

Jun N-terminal kinase

LDH:

Lactate dehydrogenase

LPS:

Lipopolysaccharide

LPO:

Lipid peroxides

MAPK:

Mitogen-activated protein kinase

MCP:

Monocyte chemoattractant protein

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

MG:

Mono/diglycerides of capric and caprylic acids

MMP:

Matrix metalloproteinase

MPO:

Myeloperoxidase

NF-κB:

Nuclear factor-kappaB

PAF:

Platelet-activating factor

PAF-R:

PAF-receptor

PARP:

Poly ADP ribose polymerase

PCNA:

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen

PD:

Pyrimidine dimmer

PDGF-BB:

Platelet-derived growth factor-BB

PGE2 :

Prostaglandin E2

PKC:

Protein kinase C

PMNL:

Polymorphonuclear leukocytes

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

STAT1:

Signal transducer activator of transcription

SVCT-1:

Sodium-dependent vitamin C transporter-1

TG:

Triglycerides of capric and caprylic acids

TGF-β:

Transforming growth factor-beta

TCHQ:

Tetrachlorohydroquinone

t-BHP:

t-butylhydroperoxide

TPA:

12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate

TNF-α:

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha

UVA:

Ultraviolet A

UVB:

Ultraviolet B

VEGF:

Vascular endothelial growth factor

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Acknowledgements

This paper was partly supported by Programme for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Teams in Universities, Ministry of Education, China (IRT0760).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, No.1 Hospital of China Medical University, 155 North Nanjing Street, Shenyang, 110001, China

    Y. Wu, H.-D. Chen, Y.-H. Li & X.-H. Gao

  2. Nutritional Sciences Division, School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Kings College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom

    V. R. Preedy

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Wu, Y., Chen, HD., Li, YH., Gao, XH., Preedy, V.R. (2012). Antioxidants and skin: an overview. In: Preedy, V.R. (eds) Handbook of diet, nutrition and the skin. Human Health Handbooks no. 1, vol 2. Wageningen Academic Publishers. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-729-5_5

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