The Role of Probiotics in Skin Photoaging and Related Mechanisms: A Review

Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2022 Nov 16:15:2455-2464. doi: 10.2147/CCID.S388954. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the primary pathogenetic factor in skin photoaging. It can disrupt cellular homeostasis by damaging DNA, inducing an inflammatory cascade, immunosuppression, and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, resulting in a variety of dermatologic conditions. The skin microbiome plays an important role in the homeostasis and maintenance of healthy skin. Emerging evidence has indicated that highly diverse gut microbiome may also have an impact on the skin health, referred to as the gut-skin axis (GSA). Oral and topical probiotics through modulating the skin microbiome and gut-skin microbial interactions could serve as potential management to prevent and treat the skin photoaging by multiple pathways including reducing oxidative stress, inhibiting ECM remodeling, inhibiting the inflammatory cascade reaction, and maintaining immune homeostasis. In this review, the effects of oral and topical probiotics in skin photoaging and related mechanisms are both described systematically and comprehensively.

Keywords: extracellular matrix; gut-skin axis; probiotics; reactive oxygen species; skin microbiome; skin photoaging; ultraviolet radiation.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (82073453), the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (LY20H110002), the General Project Funds from the Health Department of Zhejiang Province (2020KY446), the outstanding Young People Fund in Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (ZRY2018C004, ZRY2020C008).