Functional food containing curcumin, ginkgo biloba extract, L-carnitine, long pepper extract and astaxanthin and thioredoxin-containing sake extract improve skin atrophy in aging model mice

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by aging, genetic factor and the external factors such as ultraviolet rays are one of the causes of accelerated aging. CuZn-superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD, SOD1) localizes in the cytoplasm and plays an important role in maintaining redox homeostasis in cells. In fact, SOD1-deficient mice exhibit various aging-like changes such as skin atrophy, fatty liver and muscle atrophy. In this study, we estimated the anti-aging effects of curcumin, functional food containing curcumin, ginkgo biloba extract, L-carnitine, long pepper extract and astaxanthin and a sake extract including thioredoxin (TRX) on SOD1-deficient mice. These foods were administered orally to SOD1-deficient mice for 8 weeks and observed aging-like changes. Functional food, but not curcumin only, significantly improved the decrease in skin thickness. In addition, this food treatment significantly suppressed the increase in 8-isoprostane, an oxidative stress marker, and tended to suppress the upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2). On the other hand, sake extract containing TRX significantly suppressed the skin atrophy and enlargement of the liver in the mutant mice. These results suggest that functional foods with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity can improve the aging-like phenotypes of the SOD1-deficient mice.