Multifloral honey may provide the basis for new skincare products designed to protect against premature skin aging and ultraviolet (UV)-induced damage, according to researchers from the University of Sassari, who are investigating the effects of natural compounds on human skin cells. The findings were reported by Medical Xpress.
The researchers found that low concentrations of multifloral honey help skin cells better withstand UV-induced stress, enhance antioxidant defenses, and may slow cellular processes associated with aging.
Dr. Fikiye Fulya Kavak, a member of Professor Margherita Maioli's research team, set out to determine whether high-quality multifloral honey could produce measurable protective effects on human skin cells.
The skin serves as the body's primary barrier against the external environment, but ultraviolet radiation from sunlight accelerates skin aging, induces cellular stress, and increases the risk of skin cancer.
For the study, the researchers cultured several types of human skin cells, including skin-derived stem cells, fibroblasts, and keratinocytes. The cells were grown in a specialized bioreactor system designed to mimic the conditions of living skin.
Before UV exposure, some of the cells were treated for 48 hours with a solution containing just 1% multifloral honey. The researchers then compared the responses of treated and untreated cells to ultraviolet stress.
The results showed that honey helped activate the skin cells' natural defense mechanisms. In stem cells, the activity of genes involved in tissue renewal and regeneration increased, while the activity of several genes associated with cellular aging declined.
In addition, the treated cells produced lower levels of nitric oxide, a molecule associated with inflammatory stress, and exhibited greater antioxidant activity.
According to the researchers, honey did not simply stimulate enhanced repair of UV-induced damage. Instead, it appeared to help skin cells maintain a more stable physiological state following ultraviolet exposure.
The team is continuing to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying these protective effects and is now examining whether the observed changes in gene activity are also reflected in protein expression within the cells.
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