Anti-aging Skin Care Benefits
of Saccharina longicruris Extract
Alain Thibodeau, PhD
KEY WORDS: Saccharina longicruris, anti-aging, cDNA array
gene expression, cellular senescence, skin surface
topography, skin barrier function
ABSTRACT: Aging triggers the modification of gene expression
levels, negatively affecting skin’s ultrastructural
integrity and resulting in dry, saggy skin and the
appearance of wrinkles. However, an extract of
Saccharina longicruris has been found to restore
the expression levels of specific genes in senescent
fibroblasts, in turn improving barrier function and
hydration, increasing elasticity and reducing wrinkles,
which are described in this article.
Saccharina longicruris (S. longicruris)
was investigated since algae is known
for its survival abilities. Specifically, it
develops thickened segments to adapt to
water movements and stores compounds
to survive harsh environments. Thus, to
gain insight into the functionality of
S. longicruris extract, the author examined its efficacy to promote keratinocyte
differentiation and reverse the gene
expression level of senescent human
fibroblasts, described here.
Skin appearance and functionality are affected by a complex combination
of factors including both genetic, i.e.
intrinsic, and actinic, i.e. extrinsic or
environmental. Indeed, genetic and
actinic factors act together to modulate
the expression of key genes involved
in skin homeostasis. Intrinsic aging
is genetically regulated and follows
a chronological clock inside of cells,
while environmental factors such as
UV exposure, humidity and air pollutants are responsible for actinic aging.
Together, genetic and actinic aging
target important metabolic pathways in
skin cells that trigger the signs of aging
such as skin roughness and wrinkling.
At a molecular level, it has been
demonstrated that collagen synthesis is
reduced in aged skin cells and in cells
damaged by UV radiation.1 Similarly,
the expression of various matrix metal-loproteases (MMPs), which cause the
degradation of collagen fibers and other
skin fibrillar components, is upregulated
in aged cells as well as in cells exposed
to UV, infrared radiation or excessive
heat.2, 3 Furthermore, reactive oxygen
species are molecular agents implicated
in the deleterious effects of both intrinsic and extrinsic aging.1, 4
S. longicruris increased
the activation of
transglutaminase by
349% in unstimulated
keratinocytes.
The skin barrier also plays important
roles in skin’s functioning. For instance,
it prevents excessive water loss and
protects against physical trauma, foreign
particles such as allergens, bacteria,
toxic chemicals, and also radiation.
The barrier function of the skin mainly
resides in the stratum corneum (SC)
layer of the epidermis, where differentiated keratinocytes are embedded within
a lipid matrix. With age, the ability of
the barrier to repair damage from physical insults decreases.5
In an effort to develop an active to
improve skin barrier repair and hydration, increase elasticity, and reduce the
appearance of wrinkles, the algae extract
S. longicruris
Properties and Formulation
S. longicruris is a laminaria algae
manually harvested during fall in the
cold waters of the North Atlantic before
the area is covered by ice. The plant
grows up to 1 cm/day during the summer period and accumulates nutrients
and polysaccharides (laminarans) to
survive throughout the winter season
when water temperatures are as low as
1°C. It uses these nutrients and polysaccharides to restart the growth phase
the following spring. When the algae
is exposed to such extreme conditions,
the activation of selective metabolic
pathways is triggered as well as the production of specific compounds within
the algae tissues. Interestingly, it has
been shown that some plants have the
ability to produce protective compounds
when exposed to low temperatures.6
An aqueous extract of S. longicrurisa
was therefore developed and its efficacy
examined to determine its effects on the
cellular metabolic deregulations and
in situ cutaneous surface topography
modifications that result in skin aging.
The clear, yellowish, odorless extract
typically comprises laminarans and
aReGenesea (INCI: Glycerin (and) S. Longicruris
extract) is a product of Innovacos, Mt. Arlington,
VA, USA.
208 | Cosmetics & Toiletries® magazine www.CosmeticsandToiletries.com
Vol. 126, No. 3/March 2011
