Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Effects of Astaxanthin on Human Skin Ageing

Abstract

Context: Astaxanthin (ASX), a xanthophyll carotenoid derived from microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis, mitigating skin photoaging and age-related skin diseases by its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in animal studies. Objective: The aim was to systematically evaluate if ASX applications have anti-ageing effects in humans. Methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science found a total of eleven studies. Nine randomised, controlled human studies assessed oral ASX effects and two open-label, prospective studies evaluated topical, oral-topical ASX effects on skin ageing. GetData Graph Digitizer was used to extract mean values and standard deviations of baseline and endpoint, and Cochrane Collaboration’s tool assessed RoB for all included studies. Review Manager 5.4 was used to conduct meta-analysis of RCTs; the results were reported as effect size ± 95% confidence interval. Results: Oral ASX supplementation significantly restored moisture content (SMD = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.05, 1.01; I2 = 52%; p = 0.03) and improved elasticity (SMD = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.19, 1.35; I2 = 75%; p = 0.009) but did not significantly decrease wrinkle depth (SMD = −0.26; 95% CI = −0.58, 0.06; I2 = 0%; p = 0.11) compared to placebo. Open-label, prospective studies suggested slightly protective effects of topical and oral-topical ASX applications on skin ageing. Conclusions: Ingestion and/or topical usages of ASX may be effective in reducing skin ageing and have promising cosmetical potential, as it improves moisture content and elasticity and reduces wrinkles.

Effectiveness of Dietary Supplement for Skin Moisturizing in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…The conclusion might be remarkably different according to the gathered outcomes of meta-analysis regarding skin water content if more studies researching polyphenols were included in the subgroup meta-analysis. The meta-analysis on the roles of astaxanthin in skin hydration, however, displayed a significantly different result compared with the study of Zhou 2021 ( 92 ) which neglected the potential false positive result. In terms of presenting data, by ruling out the possible influence of other ingredients with positive effects, we tended to think that astaxanthin had a non-significant effect on skin hydration according to the result of the subgroup meta-analysis, which was consistent with the conclusion from the study of Tominaga 2012 ( 93 ).…”

Antioxidant and Anti‐Pollution Effect of Naturally Occurring Carotenoids Astaxanthin and Crocin for Human Skin Protection

“…Together, they perform many cellular functions, including cell growth control, cell proliferation, wound healing, and transporting keratinocytes in the epidermis, leading to an anti‐aging effect. In addition, animal studies have shown that dermal administration of ASX can lead to inhibition of hyperpigmentation and photoaging in skin exposed to various harmful oxidative stress initiators [7,52] …”

“…According to Zhou et al. (2021), [7] ASX can quench singlet oxygen not only in the epidermis but also in the depth of the skin, i. e., in the dermis.…”

“…In addition, animal studies have shown that dermal administration of ASX can lead to inhibition of hyperpigmentation and photoaging in skin exposed to various harmful oxidative stress initiators. [7,52]…”

Research Progresses on the Physiological and Pharmacological Benefits of Microalgae-Derived Biomolecules

“…Interestingly, P4 can inhibit mushroom tyrosinase, but promoted melanin synthesis by three times in the B16-F10 cells. The results show that microalgal proteins can be considered as a source for biomolecules that can regulate melanin production [ 70 ].…”