Development and evaluation of sesamol as an antiaging agent

Aging comprises various changes that occur in living organisms with the passage of time, leading to increased system entropy, loss of homeostasis and eventually death. Of the various theories proposed, the free radical theory of aging states that it is the shift in antioxidant/pro-oxidant balance that leads to increased oxidative stress, dysregulation of cellular function and aging. It has been proved that accumulated damage by free radicals produced by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation results in extensive damage to the soft skin tissues, which is commonly known as "photoaging". Although the human body has built-in antioxidant mechanisms to suppress uncontrolled free radicals, these mechanisms may at times fail due to overwhelming production of toxic radicals. This is where supplemental antioxidants can play a vital role in restoring the balance, lack of which produces visible wrinkling and premature aging. Sesamol, a highly acclaimed antioxidant, was selected as a suitable antioxidant to investigate in this study, and is for the first time shown to counter UV-induced oxidative stress (in terms of both biochemical and histopathological changes) in mouse skin. The source of radiation was a 300-W UV lamp, and mice of the lacca strain were chosen as an animal model for this study. Free radical levels generated were estimated using the Ohkawa method for estimation of lipid peroxidation in animal tissues. The results from biochemical and histopathological investigations clearly confirm that the sesamol formulation is effective in preventing photodamage (lesions, ulcers and changes in skin integrity) due to chronic UV exposure.