Eriodictyol flavonoid reduces skin aging caused by environmental stress, study finds

28 Jun 2022 --- Eriodictyol supplementation may effectively improve skin viability, encourage skin elasticity and boost skin resilience, according to a study conducted in Chulalongkorn University, Thailand and Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. For these reasons, researchers believe eriodictyol may be a good option for use in pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical products as an anti-aging agent. 

Eriodictyol is a flavonoid extracted from the dendrobium ellipsophyllum plant. Flavonoids are natural substances found in fruits, vegetables, grains, bark, roots, stems and flowers and are well known for their health benefits.

The study assessed the protective effects of eriodictyol against oxidative damage in human dermal fibroblasts. Dermal fibroblasts are cells that produce connective tissue and help the skin heal after injury. They are found in the dermis layer of the skin.

The researchers suggest that eriodictyol may be useful for preserving the health and beauty of the skin.

Harmful oxidative stress
The skin is continually exposed to several external stresses including UV radiation, tobacco smoke, pollution and harmful chemicals since it is the body’s outermost layer. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can generate and accumulate as a result of exposure to these environmental insults.

The exposure leads to an increase in oxidative stress and ultimately speeds up the aging process of the skin. As a result, it is thought that elevated ROS production to reduce oxidative stress is key to avoid skin aging.

Eriodictyol is a flavonoid extracted from the dendrobium ellipsophyllum plant.The dermis is a layer of thick, wavy connective tissues that give the skin its strength, elasticity and extensibility. The dermis’s predominant cell type is a fibroblast. The production of an extracellular matrix, which includes collagen and elastin fibers, is a crucial role of dermal fibroblasts.

Dermal fibroblasts can become dysfunctional as a result of oxidative stress brought on by exposure to environmental threats. As a result, fibroblast dysfunction compromises the skin's mechanical and structural integrity, eventually leading to skin aging.

Dramatic reduction of enzyme activity
To test the effects of eriodictyol on skin, researchers investigated whether eriodictyol protected human dermal fibroblasts from the harmful effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). They found that eriodictyol reduced cellular antioxidant enzyme activity and prevented H2O2-induced cell damage.

Eriodictyol protects dermal fibroblasts from oxidative harm by increasing the activity of cellular antioxidant enzymes like CAT and GPx.

In a test, H2O2 dramatically reduced the activities of the enzymes CAT and GPx in dermal fibroblasts by 63% and 60%. According to the findings, eriodictyol shields dermal fibroblasts from oxidative damage by enhancing their ability to combat oxidative stress.

Because of this, they suggest three possible pharmacological processes for the defenses eriodictyol offers against oxidative imbalance in dermal fibroblasts.

First, they found that because eriodictyol dramatically inhibited radical activity in a concentration-dependent manner, it was able to directly neutralize intracellular ROS. Second, eriodictyol improves dermal fibroblasts’ ability to get rid of harmful ROS. Finally, third, eriodictyol encourages cutaneous fibroblasts to express the enzymes CAT and GPx.The skin is continually exposed to several external stresses including UV radiation, tobacco smoke, pollution and harmful chemicals.

Fibroblasts that last
In order to keep skin tissue elastic and structurally sound, fibroblasts are essential. A high level of oxidative stress can reduce fibroblasts’ capacity to proliferate and decrease their ability to function, which finally makes aging characteristics like wrinkles, dryness, hyperpigmentation and loss of skin elasticity visible. 

The research shows that eriodictyol may boost fibroblasts’ resilience to oxidative damage by improving cells’ ability to flush out the potentially hazardous oxidant H2O2.

Eriodictyol would thereby maintain the fibroblasts’ youthful shape and functional activity, encourage cell division and postpone the aging phenotypes.

By preventing oxidative stress, eriodictyol protects cutaneous fibroblasts from H2O2-induced toxicity. These positive effects of eriodictyol seem to be primarily attributed to the improvement of antioxidant machinery’s ability to detoxify ROS. 

According to their research, eriodictyol supplementation has the potential to significantly increase skin elasticity, resilience and viability. As an anti-aging ingredient, eriodictyol might be a viable choice for pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical products.

By Mieke Meintjes