Cacao extract may offer a protective effects against photo-aging. - GreenMedInfo Summary

Cacao beans contain various bioactive phytochemicals that could modify the pathogeneses of certain diseases. Here, we report that oral administration of cacao powder (CP) attenuates UVB-induced skin wrinkling by the regulation of genes involved in dermal matrix production and maintenance. Transcriptome analysis revealed that 788 genes are down- or up-regulated in the CP supplemented group, compared to the UVB-irradiated mouse skin controls. Among the differentially-expressed genes, cathepsin G and serpin B6c play important roles in UVB-induced skin wrinkle formation. Gene regulatory network analysis also identified several candidate regulators responsible for the protective effects of CP supplementation against UVB-induced skin damage. CP also elicited anti-wrinkle effects via inhibition of UVB-induced MMP-1 expression in both the human skin equivalent model and human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). Inhibition of UVB-induced AP-1 via CP supplementation is likely to affect the expression of MMP-1. CP supplementation also down-regulates the expression of cathepsin G in HDFs. 5-(3',4'-dihydroxyphenyl)-γ-valerolactone, a major in vivo metabolite of CP, showed effects similar to CP supplementation. These results suggest that cacao extract may offer a protective effect against photoaging by inhibiting the breakdown of dermal matrix, which leads to an overall reduction in wrinkle formation.