Antioxidant Tiron Protects Against Sun Damage, Prevents Premature Ageing

Tiron- the antioxidant can protect the skin against sun damage and even prevent premature aging.

The study was conducted by researchers at Newcastle University. The team said that Tiron can provide "100% protection against mitochondrial DNA damage."

Antioxidants are natural or man-made compounds that delay cell damage. Fruits and vegetables contain several types of antioxidants such as beta carotene, lutein and lycopene.

Ultraviolet A radiation has the ability to penetrate deep into the skin and damage the DNA by generating free radicals. The best antioxidants prevent this destruction by targeting the mitochondria or the "power house of the cell."

For the study, researchers looked at the efficacy of known anti-oxidants such as resveratrol (found in red wine) and curcumin (found in curry) and compared it with the latest compound, according to news release.

The team first treated skin cells with antioxidants and exposed them to UV A radiation at doses that humans normally experience on a summer's day.

They then used polymerase chain reaction to copy the skin cell DNA and look at the levels of change in the genetic material.

The team found that Tiron- 4, 5-Dihydroxy-1, 3-benzenedisulfonic acid disodium salt monohydrate- provided a 100 percent protection against mitochondrial DNA damage. However, the wine compound resveratrol and turmeric compound curcumin provided just 22 percent protection.

But, you won't be seeing Tiron in food or cosmetics soon because it still needs to pass several tests including a toxicity test.

"To discover that Tiron offers complete protection against UVA damage is exciting and promising, however, it is early days as Tiron is not a naturally occurring compound and has not yet been tested for toxicity in humans although there have been a few studies on rats," said Mark Birch-Machin, Professor of Molecular Dermatology at Newcastle University.

The study was funded by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Unilever and is published in The FASEB Journal.