The effects of oophorectomy and hormone replacement therapy on superoxide radicals in rat skin

Abstract

Female skin undergoes regressive changes after the onset of menopause. There is a reduction in collagen synthesis resulting in decline of collagen content, and the skin becomes thinner and drier.1 However, it is not known with certainty if this phenomenon is mainly age‐related, is due to hypo‐oestrogenism, or both. One of several theories of ageing includes imbalance between the oxidant factors and antioxidant protective mechanisms in human cells. There is clinical experience that hormone‐replacement therapy (HRT) can bring definite beneficial effects to the skin and the prevention of skin ageing in postmenopausal women. HRT has been shown to improve parameters involved in skin ageing such as collagen content, thickness, barrier function and the mechanical properties of the skin.1 These observations raise the question as to whether the beneficial effects of oestrogens relate to decrease of the oxidative damage in the skin. The aim of this study was to determine the probable changes in superoxide levels after oophorectomy and the effects of various HRT formulations on antioxidant status in female rat skin.