The Potential Role of Vitamin D Administration in The Skin Aging Process Through The Inflammatory Pathway: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Skin aging occurs through various mechanisms, including the inflammatory process. Wrinkled and dry skin in the elderly is correlated with deficiency of vitamin D. Maintaining vitamin D at normal levels can suppress the degeneration process including skin aging. This study aimed to conduct a review regarding the effect of vitamin D administration on the skin, particularly on the inflammatory process. This review was conducted using the search engine namely Pubmed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct. The inclusion criteria included original articles, of both in vivo and in vitro studies, published in 2012-2022. A total of eight articles were obtained using the keywords namely inflammation, vitamin D, and aging. The findings demonstrate that vitamin D can reduce inflammation in the skin by reducing collagen breakdown, inhibiting high inflammatory response, and modulating activity immune response, as well as through its photoprotective effect. Vitamin D reduces collagen breakdown by decreasing MMP-1. Vitamin D suppresses inflammatory response by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory cytokines and decreasing the expression of growth factors. Vitamin D modulates activity related to immune response by increasing the percentage of Treg cells. Vitamin D has a photoprotective effect, which reduces thymine dimer by reducing nitric oxide and its products and increases the level of anti inflammatory mediator. Inhibition of the expression of growth factors, proinflammatory cytokines, increased level of the anti-inflammatory mediator, following Vitamin D supplementation is associated with skin barrier repair. Thus, vitamin D regulates an anti inflammatory pathway that may be exploited to slow the degradation process in skin aging.