Botanical Antioxidants for Protection Against Damage from Sunlight

Publisher Summary Solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation is considered a complete carcinogen, because it initiates a photo-oxidative reaction that impairs the antioxidant status and increases the cellular level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the skin. Skin, the largest organ of the body in terms of surface area, serves as a competent epithelial barrier that interfaces the environment. Excessive exposure to solar UV radiation, particularly its UVB component, leads to the development of various skin disorders including erythema, edema, inflammation, hyperpigmentation, hyperplasia, immunosuppression, skin cancers, and photoaging. To protect the skin from the deleterious effects of UV exposure one approach is to make antioxidants available to the skin at the time of exposure, through topical or oral administration of botanicals through a process that is defined as photochemoprevention. The focus of this chapter is on the effects of selected botanical antioxidants for protection against damage to the skin caused by sunlight. Dietary botanicals with antioxidant properties show anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, and antiphotoaging effects both in vitro (cell/tissue culture) and in vivo (animal models and humans). Therefore, the use of antioxidant-rich botanicals as dietary sources, and/or supplementing skin care products with these botanicals for daily use, may be an effective approach for reducing UV-induced photodamage and skin cancer.