Welcome to PracticeUpdate! We hope you are enjoying access to a selection of our top-read and most recent articles. Please register today for a free account and gain full access to all of our expert-selected content.
Already Have An Account? Log in Now
Effects of Probiotics Supplementation on Skin Photoaging and Skin Barrier Function
TAKE-HOME MESSAGE
- This systemic review and meta-analysis included 13 articles examining the effects of probiotics on skin photoaging in humans and mice. The administration of probiotics in mice reduced the matrix metalloproteinase levels and reversed the ultraviolet (UV)-induced increase of epidermal thickness (P = .007), UV-induced trans-epidermal water loss (P = .001), and UV-induced skin dehydration (P < .00001).
- Studies in mice show that probiotics may help prevent UV-induced skin damage. Additional studies are needed in humans to investigate the potential role of probiotics in the prevention of photoaging.
abstract
This abstract is available on the publisher's site.
Access this abstract nowBACKGROUND
Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is one of the major causes of skin aging. To date, there remains limited evidence on using oral probiotics for skin anti-photoaging.
OBJECTIVES
This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess the effects of probiotics on skin photoaging.
METHODS
We searched the PubMed and Embase databases for studies published until August 31, 2021, and included randomized controlled trials, murine randomized controlled experiments, and in vitro studies. Skin barrier function was compared between UV irradiated probiotics and controls.
RESULTS
After given oral probiotics supplements, a significant reduction was shown in all types of measured MMPs in both murine and in vitro studies. Oral probiotics supplementation significantly reversed UV-induced increase of epidermal thickness (standardized mean differences [SMD] = -1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -3.04 to -0.49; P = 0.007; I2 = 81%), UV-induced increase trans-epidermal water loss (SMD = -1.72; 95% CI = -2.76 to -0.67; P = 0.001; I2 = 57%), and UV-induced skin dehydration (SMD = 1.85; 95% CI = 1.16 to 2.55; P < 0.00001; I2 = 4%).
CONCLUSIONS
Probiotics are effective against skin photoaging in terms of MMP pathways and reversing skin barrier function from murine randomized data. Further randomized controlled trials on humans are required to warrant these results.
Additional Info
Disclosure statements are available on the authors' profiles:
Effects of probiotics supplementation on skin photoaging and skin barrier function: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed 2022 Dec 30;[EPub Ahead of Print], JY Jwo, YT Chang, YC HuangFrom MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
The acclaimed author Haruki Murakami popularized a quote that has an older, murkier original attribution, yet resonates powerfully today: “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”1 Indeed, in this paper, the authors frame their discussion around a similar paradigm noting: “UV exposure is unavoidable…” but conclude that the damage from it may be optional when taking probiotics.
The role of cutaneous microbiome in dermatologic disease has risen to great prominence in the past decade and continues to have an upward trajectory.2 It is an exciting extension from the potential use of probiotics in disease states to playing a part in prevention of photoaging. I confess: this is not something I had really thought about prior to reading the paper!
While there are some important caveats — primarily that they review studies done in mice, which may or may not be applicable to human physiology in this respect — the scientific evidence is very compelling for the role of probiotics, and, by extension, the microbiome in photoaging. Mechanistically, they propose that oral probiotics may prevent UV–induced skin damage via interfering with the matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)–related signaling pathway and seem to have anti-inflammatory and skin barrier–restoring properties.
The authors point out another challenge with this area: knowing which probiotic or combination of probiotics to administer along with the dosage and timing. The studies used different strains and dosing regimens, making it tougher to generalize. That said, we have seen a similar trend in the atopic dermatitis literature, with the most recent meta-analyses suggesting that probiotics are effective in atopic dermatitis (AD).3,4 While probiotics remain slightly on the fringe of conventional medicine at this point, I feel that all signs point to their growing role as we learn more about the microbiome in both health and disease.
References