Abstract
The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of a food supplement rich in antioxidants on the antioxidant status of the skin. For this reason, the blue-green algae Spirulina platensis powder was used for oral application during eight weeks. The effect of oral application of the antioxidant-containing Spirulina platensis on characteristic skin aging parameters, e.g., concentration of cutaneous carotenoids and the collagen/elastin index (SAAID), was investigated in vivo. A significant average increase from 2.67 ± 0.86 arb. units to 3.25 ± 0.93 arb. units (p < 0.001) in the cutaneous carotenoid concentration was detected subsequent to oral application of the carotenoid-containing Spirulina platensis powder, showing a significant improvement of the antioxidant status of the skin. A slight but not significant increase (p = 0.33) in the dermal SAAID mean values was measured from −0.54 ± 0.11 to −0.51 ± 0.11 subsequent to oral intake of Spirulina platensis powder.
Highlights
Skin aging is determined by genetic factors and can be accelerated by individual lifestyle factors and environmental influences [1,2]
Prior to the start of the Spirulina platensis application period and one day after its termination, the cutaneous antioxidant status of the volunteers was determined by measuring the carotenoid marker substances using resonance Raman spectroscopy
After the Spirulina platensis algae powder had been orally administered for a period of eight weeks, a highly significant increase in the carotenoid concentration of the skin was observed (p < 0.001)
Summary
Skin aging is determined by genetic factors and can be accelerated by individual lifestyle factors and environmental influences [1,2]. As genetic factors cannot be changed, the lifestyle and environmental exposure have to be controlled individually [3]. The human skin has developed a protection network against the negative action of free radicals in the form of antioxidants [18,19]. The antioxidant substances form a balanced network in the skin, acting synergistically and protecting each other from direct destruction [24,25]. The concentration of antioxidants in the skin is at an individual and varying level depending on current lifestyle, environmental influences, and antioxidant uptake [26]
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