Giving new meaning to “You don’t look a day over 20.”
For the first time ever, scientists at Newcastle University in the UK have identified that the activity of a key metabolic enzyme found in human skin declines with age. This breakthrough in understand human skin cells may lead the way to new anti-aging treatments — both creams and drugs.
"As our bodies age we see that the batteries in our cells run down, known as decreased bio-energy, and harmful free radicals increase,” Mark Birch-Machin, professor of molecular dermatology, said in a press statement."This process is easily seen in our skin as increased fine lines, wrinkles and sagging appears. You know the story, or at least your mirror does first thing in the morning!”
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Now this study reveals that, as we get older, there is a specific decrease in the activity of a key metabolic enzyme found in the batteries of the skin cells. This enzyme functions as an important factor in making energy in our cells, so a decrease in its activity leads to less bio-energy in aging skin.
"Our research means that we now have a specific biomarker, or a target, for developing and screening anti-ageing treatments and cosmetic creams that may counter this decline in bio-energy,” said Birch-Machin.
"There is now a possibility of finding anti-ageing treatments which can be tailored to differently aged and differently pigmented skin, and with the additional possibility to address the ageing process elsewhere in our bodies."
In the study, the researchers measured the activity of key enzymes within the mitochondria — a structure nicknamed the “powerhouse of the cell” for its role in producing energy. They compared skin cells derived from the upper and lower levels of skin, or the epidermis and dermis respectively, investigating how much work was being done by complex II, a cluster of enzymes essential to the energy production process.
The researchers took samples from a sun-protected area of the skin in 27 volunteers, aged six to 72, to determine whether there was a difference in complex II activity as the volunteers aged.
The results, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, revealed that complex II activity significantly declines with age per unit of mitochondria. However, the researchers found that this took place in the cells derived from the lower levels (dermis) rather than the upper levels (epidermis), which is an observation that has never before been reported for human skin.
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"Our work brings us one step closer to understanding how these vital cell structures may be contributing to human ageing, with the hope of eventually specifically targeting areas of the mitochondria in an attempt to counteract the signs of ageing,” Dr. Amy Bowman, a research associate at Newcastle’s Institute of Cellular Medicine, said in a statement.
Amazingly, the researchers say these findings could also lead to a better understanding of how other organs in the body age, which could ultimately bring about new drug developments to counter a number of age-related diseases, including cancer.
Miracle anti-aging creams and new drugs for age-related diseases? Yes please.
