DNA macroarray study of skin aging-related genes expression modulation by antioxidant plant extracts on a replicative senescence model of human dermal fibroblasts.

The formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a widely accepted pivotal mechanism leading to skin aging. It increases with age, while the endogenous defense mechanisms that counter them decrease. This imbalance, called oxidative stress, leads to the progressive damage of cellular structures and results in accelerated aging. Antioxidant compounds can provide protection from endogenous and exogenous oxidative stress by scavenging free radicals. The main phenolic compounds of oak wood, mate leaf and benjoin resin antioxidant extracts were identified and the effects of these extracts on skin aging markers were evaluated using DNA macroarray technology. The transcriptional effect of the three antioxidant extracts was evaluated in vitro on a replicative senescence model of normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF), using a customized DNA macroarray specifically designed to investigate aging markers such as dermal structure, cell renewal, inflammatory response and oxidative stress mechanisms. Among the 149 genes detected, the three antioxidant extracts presented a significant regulation of five genes involved in inflammatory response, cell renewal and antioxidant defenses. The collective transcriptional effects of these extracts suggest interesting antiaging properties which could be utilized in nutraceutical antiaging formulations.