#cis-urocanic

[johniac]

SciTech Chronicles. . . . . .May 16th, 2025

[thelovebudllc]

Skin microbiome plays active role in sun protection and immune balance

The skin microbiome plays an important role in health and disease. Researchers have now substantiated that certain skin bacteria can protect us from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation specifically by metabolizing cis-urocanic acid using an enzyme called urocanase. This enables the skin’s ability to fine-tune how it responds to UV radiation The findings of the study in the Journal of…

[healthtimetaylor]

Red clover protect against inflammation and immune suppression induced by topical UV radiation.

PMID:  Photochem Photobiol. 2001 Sep ;74(3):465-70. PMID: 11594062 Abstract Title:  Isoflavonoid compounds from red clover (Trifolium pratense) protect from inflammation and immune suppression induced by UV radiation. Abstract:  Isoflavones derived from many edible plants have been reported to possess significant antioxidant, estrogenic and tyrosine kinase inhibitory activity. Genistein has been found previously to provide protection from oxidative damage induced by UV radiation both in vitro and following dietary administration. We have therefore examined the potential of a number of isoflavones from red clover (Trifolium pratense) and some metabolically related compounds to offer protection from UV irradiation in hairless mice by topical application after UV exposure. We show that whereas the primary isoflavones, daidzein, biochanin A and formononetin, were inactive, 20 microM lotions of genistein and the metabolites equol, isoequol and the related derivative dehydroequol had powerful potential to reduce the inflammatory edema reaction and the suppression of contact hypersensitivity induced by moderate doses of solar-simulated UV radiation. For equol the protection was concentration dependent and 5 microM equol markedly reduced the UV-induced inflammation but abrogated the UV-induced immunosuppression. Equol protected similarly from immunosuppression induced by the putative epidermal mediator, cis-urocanic acid (UCA), indicating a potential mechanism of action involving inactivation of this UV-photoproduct. Since immunosuppression induced by both UV radiation and by cis-UCA appears to be an oxidant-dependent response our observations support the actions of these topically applied isoflavones and their metabolites as antioxidants. They also indicate that lotions containing equol, unlike topical UV sunscreens, more readily protect the immune system from photosuppression than from the inflammation of the sunburn reaction, even when applied after exposure, and thus such compounds may have a future role as sun-protective cosmetic ingredients.

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[johniac]

SciTech Chronicles. . . . . . . . .Jun 4th, 2025

[johniac]

SciTech Chronicles. . . . . . . . .May 24th, 2025