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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Pharmacologic Induction of Epidermal Melanin and Protection Against Sunburn in a Humanized Mouse Model
Published on: September 7, 2013
Natural products as aids for protecting the skin's immune system against UV damage
Faith M Strickland1, Johanna M Kuchel, Gary M Halliday
1Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Abstract:
Modern sun-protection products reduce the risk for erythema and DNA damage, but even those products with a very high sun protection factor (SPF) and full-spectrum UVB and UVA protection may not prevent UV radiation (UVR)-induced immunomodulation. Formulating sunscreens with a high SPF, as well as a high immune protection factor, is necessary for preventing skin cancer and maintaining effective immune responses to infectious disease after sun exposure. Supplementing current sun-protection products with immunoprotective compounds may help fill the gap between erythema protection and immunoprotection. Animal and now human studies have shown that a class of agents known as oligosaccharins--complex carbohydrates found in plants--protect the cutaneous immune system from UVB-induced and UVA-induced immunomodulation. This immunoprotective effect occurs independently from erythema and DNA damage protection, and these agents, particularly tamarind xyloglucan, may become important adjunctive ingredients to sunscreens.
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