An unexpected agent called an anti-aging agent called
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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The processes of aging of the skin disturb many women. With age, the human skin becomes thinner, loses its elasticity and property to recover.
More recently, American researchers have voiced the news: a common substance can inhibit the age processes - it's an antiseptic methylene blue, which simultaneously acts as an excellent antioxidant.
According to the head of the study, methylene blue can be mixed into external means to care for mature skin from the anti-age series. It is noteworthy that until recently methylene blue was used in foreign clinics exclusively for the correction of methemoglobinemia - pathology, when the blood loses the quality of transporting oxygen qualitatively. In the post-Soviet countries, methylene blue was used as an antiseptic in diseases of mucous membranes and skin.
Now, before this substance opens a great future - in the fight for youthful skin.
"Given all the data we got, we wanted to test the properties of methylene blue on the skin changed by age and oxidative processes," says Dr. Xiong. To carry out the plan, scientists conducted tests of methylene blue and three other substances with the properties of antioxidants, using the material of skin fibroblasts. These are the cellular structures that produce collagen, which provides skin turgor and elasticity.
Cell structures were withdrawn from healthy volunteers older than 30 years. A small amount of material was also obtained in patients with progeria, a rare disease characterized by rapid cell aging.
Within four weeks, the specialists treated the material with methylene blue. As a result, it was found that the level of markers determining the damage to cellular structures was significantly reduced in cell culture. The blue substance successfully demonstrated the opposition to cellular changes: fibroblasts began to divide more actively and exist longer.
The effect was noticeable even in the material withdrawn from 80-year-old patients. "We were shocked by the results: cell structures, even in old age," grew young "before our eyes! Methylene blue has a strong and powerful potential, "the head of the study hastens to share his success.
At the same time, the blue substance proved to be more effective than other antioxidants tested.
Scientists did not stop there, and conducted other experiments using 3D models of human skin. They managed to prove that methylene blue prevents the thinning and drying of the skin, thus preventing the formation of wrinkles.
It is also important that the substance does not irritate the tissue and is completely safe for humans.
"We confirmed that methylene blue is a powerful tool that can fight age. If you regularly use drugs based on it, then you can preserve the quality of cells much longer. We have already launched testing of cosmetic products, which include blue matter. In the future, we will consider the possibility of producing such cosmetics for universal accessibility, "experts say.
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