Vitamin C has an anti-aging effect on the skin in cell genetic levels

The skin is our first protective barrier. Over time, the outer layer, the epidermis, thinks. He loses his ability to block external damage. The keratinocytes form most of this layer, moving upwards to create the shield of the skin.

Vitamin C (VC), widely known for its antioxidant power, has also been studied several times in the past for its ability to repair the skin. New research adds a deeper genetic angle to its importance.

A Japanese study, published in the Journal of Investigative DermatologyShow how vitamin C thickens the skin by reactivating specific genes. It strengthens the skin By encouraging cell renewal by epigenetic changes.

“VC seems to influence the structure and function of the epidermis, in particular by controlling the growth of epidermal cells,” explains Dr. Akihito Ishigami, vice-president of Tokyo Metropolitan for Gariatrics and Gerontology (Tmghig), who led the research.

“In this study, we have studied if it promotes cell proliferation and differentiation via epigenetic changes.”

Understand vitamin C – Basics

Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C plays an essential role in human biology as a powerful antioxidant and essential cofactric in various enzymatic reactions.

The body uses it for synthesize collagenA key structural protein found in the skin, blood vessels and connective tissues.

It also helps the production of neurotransmitters such as noradrenaline and AIDS in the metabolization of certain amino acids.

Unlike most animals, humans cannot synthesize vitamin C internally and must obtain it by diet – mainly from fruits and vegetables such as oranges, kiwis, strawberries, peppers and peppers and peppers and peppers and peppers and peppers and peppers and peppers broccoli.

Beyond its structural and metabolic roles, vitamin C strengthens the immune system by supporting the function of white globules and improving the defenses of the skin barrier.

Its antioxidant properties help neutralize free radicals, potentially reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.

How vitamin C thickens the skin

Researchers wanted to see how vitamin C affects skin growth. But instead of testing real human skin, they have created skin cultivated in the laboratory called human epidermal equivalents. These are 3D skin models that behave like a real skin.

In these models, the upper layer is exposed to air, as human skin Faced with the environment, while the lower layer obtains nutrients, just like the way the blood vessels feed a real skin below.

They applied vitamin C to two doses: 0.1 and 1.0 millimolar. After 7 days, they noticed that the living part of the skin had become thicker, which means that more skin cells had developed.

The most outdoors skin The layer has not changed at this stage. But in day 14, the living layer was even thickened and the exterior dead layer had become thinner.

This suggests that vitamin C made the skin produce more keratinocytes, which are the main cells that build the protective barrier.

Vitamin C accelerates cell division

The samples treated with vitamin C had more positive Ki-67 cells, markers of active division and showed faster skin regeneration. The study then examined how vitamin C allowed this increase.

They discovered that vitamin C reactivates key genes by eliminating the methyl DNA groups. These methyl groups silence the genes. Their withdrawal allows genes to light up, promoting skin Growth and cell repair.

Unlock the reduced genes in silence

Enzymes TET are doing DNA’s demethylation. They transform 5-methylcytosine into 5-hydroxymethylcytosine.

This step requires iron in its FE2 +form. When the iron becomes Fe3 +, the process stops. Vitamin C gives electrons to transform FE3 + into Fe2 +, keeping the process active.

The study has identified more than 10,000 DNA zones which have become hypomethylated with vitamin C. The expression of 12 key genes increased between 1.6 and 75.2 times.

When TET enzymes were blocked, the effects were reversed. This confirmed the role of mediated demethylation by TET in the thickening of the skin.

Modification of the structure and activity of DNA

The document supports these results with additional experiences. It describes how vitamin C promotes transcriptional activation by increasing the accessibility of chromatin.

The skin treated with vitamin C was high chromatin Opening around genes promoting growth.

The study shows an enrichment of the chromatin regions open near the bodies of the cell proliferation. These genes are essential in epidermal development.

It also proves the action of vitamin C by displaying a positive regulation of genes such as DLX5,, CXCL14And EFNA1. These genes promote keratinocyte Organization of growth and skin structure.

In addition, the article presents long reading sequencing data. This technique has confirmed that vitamin C increases the expression of full length functional genes.

This reinforces the idea that vitamin C acts not only genes, but does in a way that causes usable proteins.

The older skin reacts well to vitamin C

These results suggest that vitamin C can strengthen slim or aging skin. It works by restarting the growth routes that decrease with age. It reactivates the genes and supports cellular reconstruction at the molecular level.

“We have found that the VC helps thicken the skin by encouraging the proliferation of keratinocytes by DNA demethylation, making it promising treatment for skin thinning, especially in the elderly,” concludes Dr. Ishigami.

Following this study, and all the research preceding it, vitamin C could soon play a more important role in daily care routines, not only as an antioxidant, but as a genetic rejuvenation.

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Dr. Ishigami worked with Hokuriku University and Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The main contributors were teachers Ayami Sato, Yasunori Sato and Toshiyuki Kimura.

The study is published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

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