Oxidative stress and antioxidants at skin biosurface: A novel antioxidant from lemon oil capable of inhibiting oxidative damage to the skin

Atmospheric pollutants are an important source of oxidative and nitrosative stress both to terrestrial plants and to animals. Skin, which has a highly differentiated and certainly complex organizational structure is particula rly vulnerable to free radical damage because of its contact with oxygen an d with other environmental stimuli. Fruit and vegetables contain several cl asses of compounds that when ingested can potentially contribute to antioxi dant defenses. in the present study we employed a novel gas chromatographic method to assess the antioxidant properties of a natural compound isolated from lemon oil, which we have called Lem1. We provide experimental evidenc e that Lem1 is endowed with a strong antioxidant activity and that it is ca pable of inhibiting free radical-mediated reactions, as evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The present study extends our previous findings and demonstrat es that topical application of Lem 1 in healthy volunteers significantly in creases the antioxidative potential of skin biosurface, thus highlighting t he effectiveness of a natural antioxidant biotechnology in the antiaging ma nagement of skin.