Melatonin Exerts Prominent, Differential Epidermal and Dermal Anti-Aging Properties in Aged Human Eyelid Skin Ex Vivo

November 2023 in “ International Journal of Molecular Sciences ”

Tara Samra, T. Gomez-Gomez, Kinga Linowiecka, Aysun Akhundlu, Gabriella Lopez de Mendoza, Matthew Gompels, Wendy W. Lee, Jennifer Gherardini, Jeremy Chéret, Ralf Paus

melatonin epidermis dermis mTORC1 pathway MMP-1 collagen 17A1 mitochondrial proteins VEGF-A fibrillin-1 collagen elastic fiber networks SIRT-1 collagen I

TLDR Melatonin helps reduce aging signs in human eyelid skin.

This study examines the anti-aging effects of melatonin on aged human eyelid skin using ex vivo samples from 5-6 donors aged 49-77 years. Melatonin at concentrations of 100 µM and 200 µM was found to significantly downregulate the mTORC1 pathway and MMP-1 protein expression in the epidermis, while upregulating collagen 17A1 and mitochondrial markers, indicating improved cellular function. It also enhanced VEGF-A protein expression and increased fibrillin-1 protein expression in the dermis, suggesting improved collagen and elastic fiber networks. However, other aging biomarkers like SIRT-1 and collagen I remained unchanged. These findings suggest that melatonin has significant differential anti-aging properties in both the epidermis and dermis, supporting its potential as a skin senotherapeutic.

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