Antioxidant and Anti-Aging Potential of Indian Sandalwood Oil against Environmental Stressors In Vitro and Ex Vivo

• Published in: Cosmetics (Basel) Vol. 8; no. 2; p. 53
• Main Authors: Francois-Newton, Véronique, Brown, Andrew, Andres, Philippe, Mandary, Madiiha Bibi, Weyers, Carli, Latouche-Veerapen, Mélissa, Hettiarachchi, Dhanushka
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.06.2021
• Subjects: Aging; Antioxidants; Cigarette smoke; Cigarettes; Collagen; Collagenase; Cosmetics; Essential oils; ex vivo; Explants; exposomes; in vitro; Indian sandalwood oil; Inflammation; Interstitial collagenase; Light; Matrix metalloproteinase; Medical research; Oils & fats; Oxidative stress; Pollutants; Radiation; Reactive oxygen species; Santalaceae; Skin; Vitamin E; St Louis Missouri; United States > US; China; India
• DOI: 10.3390/cosmetics8020053
• ISSN: 2079-9284

Distilled from the heartwood of Santalum album, Indian sandalwood oil is an essential oil that historically has been used as a natural active ingredient in cosmetics to condition and brighten the skin. It has been documented to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-proliferative activities. Here, we investigated the protective and anti-aging effects of Indian sandalwood oil in scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HaCaT cells and in human skin explants after exposure to oxidative stress. Using a probe DCFH-DA, the antioxidant capacity of Indian sandalwood oil was monitored following exposure to blue light at 412 nm and 450 nm or cigarette smoke. The anti-aging effect of sandalwood oil was also explored in human skin explants via the assessment of collagenase level (MMP-1). We reported that Indian sandalwood oil possessed antioxidant potential that can scavenge the ROS generated by a free radical generating compound (AAPH). Subsequent exposure to environmental stressors revealed that Indian sandalwood oil possessed superior antioxidant activity in comparison to vitamin E (alpha tocopherol). Using human skin explants, this study demonstrated that Indian sandalwood oil can also inhibit the pollutant-induced level of MMP-1. The findings indicated that Indian sandalwood oil can potentially serve as a protective and anti-aging active ingredient in cosmetics and dermatology against environmental stressors.