Abstract
Isoflavones exist in nature predominantly as glucosides such as daidzin or genistin and are rarely found in their corresponding aglycone forms daidzein and genistein. The metabolism and absorption of isoflavones ingested with food is well documented, but little is known about their use as topical photo-protective agents. The aim of this study was to investigate in a comparative analysis the photo-protective effects of isoflavones in both their aglycone and glucoside forms. In human skin fibroblasts irradiated with 60 mJ/cm2 ultraviolet B (UVB), we measured the expression levels of COX-2 and Gadd45, which are involved in inflammation and DNA repair, respectively. We also determined the cellular response to UVB-induced DNA damage using the comet assay. Our findings suggest that both the isoflavone glucosides at a specific concentration and combination with an aglycone mixture exerted an anti-inflammatory and photo-protective effect that prevented 41% and 71% of UVB-induced DNA damage, respectively. The advantages of using either isoflavone glucosides or an aglycone mixture in applications in the field of dermatology will depend on their properties and their different potential uses.
Highlights
Isoflavones are major soybean flavonoids that have recently attracted considerable interest because of their beneficial properties for coronary heart disease, cancer prevention, and osteoporosis [1]
60 mJ/cm2 ultraviolet B (UVB), and we investigated the photo-protective effect of the glucoside isoflavones genistin and daidzin, both individually and in combination, and the RPH-aglycone, by testing several cellular parameters, such as cell vitality, cytotoxicity, and DNA damage
We carried out MTT assays in proliferating BJ-5ta skin cells after treatment with increasing concentrations, from 2 μM to 60 μM, of isoflavones in the glucoside forms genistin and daidzin or in RPH-aglycone extract
Summary
Isoflavones are major soybean flavonoids that have recently attracted considerable interest because of their beneficial properties for coronary heart disease, cancer prevention, and osteoporosis [1]. Isoflavones exist predominantly as glucosides such as daidzin and genistin and are rarely found in their corresponding aglycone forms daidzein and genistein [2,3]. All isoflavones are efficiently absorbed from the intestinal tract, there are striking differences in the fate of aglycones and beta-glucosides. Several studies have been conducted in humans to determine the relationship between the intake of isoflavones and their biological activity, including their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion [2]. The effects of isoflavones differ depending on their glycosylation status [5]. Most studies far have evaluated the effect of isoflavones introduced by ingestion with food. The isoflavones are recognized for their antioxidant properties in biological systems, there is little indication for their use as topical photo-protective agents. Topical application of equol, a daidzein metabolite, effectively reduced the incidence of cancers induced by chronic solar simulated ultraviolet (UV)
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