Ever thought about what keeps your skin in its best shape? Let’s shine a light on an often-overlooked player in the skincare game: mitochondria. These microscopic powerhouses are not just about cell energy; they play a crucial role in keeping your skin healthy and vibrant.
Think of mitochondria as the behind-the-scenes workers ensuring a flawless performance. Their primary job, cellular respiration, turns ordinary sugars into the energy currency known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Think back to introductory biology class: Remember the mitochondria being called the powerhouses of the cell? It’s not just a catchy phrase. Picture inner membrane protein complexes as the engines driving a process called the electron transport chain (ETC). This is where electrons move through various protein complexes to create an electrochemical gradient that eventually helps form many molecules of ATP. It’s like the engine room of a ship, making sure everything runs smoothly.
However, this process also produces Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) — byproducts that can cause trouble if left unchecked. Without the antioxidant superheroes to neutralize them, ROS can lead to oxidative stress and damage. It’s a bit like the necessary maintenance to prevent wear and tear.
In this article, we’ll explore the connection between mitochondrial function and your skin’s well-being — giving you a clear picture of how these microscopic powerhouses influence the health and appearance of your skin. We’ll also delve into the key ingredients in NOVOS Core that work to address the underlying causes of aging and mitigate the impacts of mitochondrial dysfunction. Get ready to uncover the science behind your skin’s natural glow.
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How Mitochondria Work
Mitochondria play a vital role in cellular health and overall physiology, supporting various metabolically demanding processes crucial for growth and division. Central to this function is cellular respiration, a two-step process involving glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, responsible for converting simple sugars into the energy currency of the cell — molecules known as ATP. The high-energy bonds in the ATP molecule can be broken down into free energy to power cell work. If we think of the mitochondria as a (power) bank, ATP is like money — you can save it and spend it in any amount. ATP is the currency of all biological processes, from allowing a plant to grow a new leaf to getting a champion marathon runner across the finish line.
Mitochondria are indeed the powerhouse(s) of the cell. Housed within the inner membrane, the protein complexes in the mitochondria drive the conversion of glucose, its derivatives, and oxygen into critical amounts of ATP. This process is collectively known as the electron transport chain (ETC), the engine room where cellular power is made! The ETC is more than a chemical process; it facilitates the fundamental biochemical process that is the cornerstone of life on Earth, ensuring the vital transfer of electrons through a series of multiprotein complexes, culminating in their delivery to oxygen molecules. Simply put, it’s the reason life needs to breathe!
However, amid this crucial energy production, a potential hitch comes in the form of ROS. Mitochondria, being the primary contributors to ROS within a cell, produce these byproducts as a consequence of their normal activity. In fact, mitochondria are the highest sources of ROS within a cell (1). If ROS is not neutralized by antioxidant systems, ROS can accumulate, posing a high risk of oxidative stress and damage to macromolecules, leading to cellular senescence, diseases, and accelerated aging.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction Is a Hallmark of Aging
Mitochondria have long been recognized as integral contributors to aging processes, with mitochondrial dysfunction identified as a primary hallmark of aging (2, 3). Mitochondrial quality is critical for homeostasis, involving processes such as mitochondrial biogenesis, mitophagy, and mitochondrial dynamics (4, 5). Disruption of this intricate balance leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and thus is an important marker of aging.
Disruptions are not unheard of, either. The ETC is an imperfect network, generating ROS even with the slightest misdirection of electrons. Furthermore, disturbances in the electron flow needed to generate the proton gradient for optimal ETC behavior is one symptom of mitochondrial failure, resulting in oxidative stress-induced damage — emphasizing the vulnerability of the cellular production system.
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is especially susceptible to oxidative damage, as it lacks any DNA repair machinery and histones for physical protection, making mutations in mtDNA at least a thousand times higher than nuclear DNA (6)! These mutations interfere with mitochondrial physiology, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction as a whole.
Indeed, mtDNA mutations increase with age in tandem with a decline in mitochondrial function (7). Mice models with mutant mtDNA exhibit symptoms of premature aging, like weight loss, osteoporosis, inflammation, wrinkled skin, and hair loss (alopecia) (8). Remarkably, the restoration of mitochondrial function in these models reversed symptoms of aging in the skin, underscoring the link between mitochondrial (dys)function and observable phenotype changes.
Mitochondrial (Dys)function in Skin Aging
As the largest organ in the body and as the interface from the outside world, the skin relies on a continuous supply of cells to be an effective, protective barrier. Comprising three layers — the epidermis, the dermis, and the hypodermis (aka subcutaneous fat) — the skin relies heavily on mitochondrial function for various essential processes, including growth, repair, and structural integrity. Mitochondria, acting as energy hubs, play a vital role in powering cellular turnover, thereby influencing the overall skin structure and function.
Interestingly, the ROS byproducts resulting from proper mitochondrial function are not just waste; they are instrumental in hair follicle stem cell differentiation (9) and hair follicle development (10). These processes are integral to intracellular signaling within the skin organ, highlighting the multifaceted impact of mitochondrial activity on skin health.
Nevertheless, when ROS production becomes unrestrained and reaches abnormal levels, oxidative stress manifests in the skin, contributing to signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles, uneven skin tone, rough texture, and loss of elasticity (16, 17). External factors like lifestyle choices, smoking, and UV exposure can exacerbate skin aging, emphasizing the importance of mitigating such influences.
Indeed, mitochondrial damage accumulates with age in skin cells (11), underscoring the pivotal role of mitochondrial health in regulating skin condition. This intricate balance becomes even more significant when considering the concept of cellular senescence, an irreversible cell cycle arrest state that occurs in response to many triggers such as DNA damage. Extensive research has implicated senescence in disease and aging (12, 13).
In particular, impaired mitochondrial activity occurs in the skin of aged mice and promotes cellular senescence conversion (14). Moreover, epidermal thinning accompanied the mitochondrial dysfunction (and cell senescence) in the skin.
Studies on aged human skin revealed the presence of several mtDNA mutations, consistent with increased DNA oxidation products (i.e., oxidative damage) in an age-dependent manner (28). Notably, mtDNA mutations correlate with UV radiation exposure (29), underlining the importance of moderating UV exposure in moderation and using adequate protection.
In another paper, keratinocytes from elderly donors were observed to rely more on glucose and its derivatives rather than mitochondrial metabolism, indicating suboptimal organelle function and thus a shift toward glycolysis (15). Glycolysis is an inefficient way to generate ATP in regards to mitochondrial respiration.
In the quest to address skin aging, targeting mitochondrial aging is a promising avenue, offering potential solutions to alleviate mitochondrial defects associated with the skin aging process.
NOVOS Core Ingredients Support Mitochondrial Health
NOVOS Core is scientifically formulated to target the hallmarks of aging, including mitochondrial dysfunction.
Ingredients in NOVOS Core supporting mitochondrial health are:
- Alpha-Ketoglutarate (AKG): AKG is an intermediate metabolite involved in the citric acid cycle, necessary for the next step of mitochondrial respiration and efficient ATP production. AKG also has protective effects for epithelial stem cells, helping reduce oxidative damage and improving cell viability (18).
- Fisetin: This flavonoid molecule functions as an antioxidant, banishing oxidative stress. It’s also been shown to reduce mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death (as a result of metabolic stress) (19).
- Glycine: Although a simple amino acid, glycine has profound effects on mitochondrial health and aging. Glycine supplementation restores mitochondrial function in several cell types by promoting an antioxidant environment (20, 21).
- Pterostilbene: This key ingredient is able to alleviate mitochondrial stress and improve mitochondrial activity, such as respiration (22).
- Vitamin C: This vitamin is one of the most abundant antioxidants in the body, quenching free radicals that cause oxidative damage to surrounding molecules, including mtDNA (23).
- Malate: Another intermediate metabolite in the citric acid cycle, malate serves as a substrate for downstream ATP production and a free radical scavenger (24).
- Glucosamine: This dietary supplement is known for being joint-protective, but did you also know it’s involved in mitochondrial health? It reduces mtROS and preserves mitochondria from molecular injury (25).
- Magnesium: Magnesium supports mitochondrial health by regulating organelle membrane potential, keeping mitochondrial ROS in balance, and maintaining the antioxidant defenses necessary for cellular respiration (26).
- Hyaluronic Acid: While widely known as a humectant, hyaluronic acid protects mtDNA from oxidative damage and enhances mitochondrial repair (27).
- Rhodiola Rosea: Salidroside is an active ingredient in this plant that’s been shown to increase antioxidant defenses in the presence of ROS and increase mitochondrial biogenesis in a human endothelial cell line (30).
- L-Theanine: An active ingredient normally found in green tea, L-theanine aids in mitochondrial health by supporting ETC protein complex function and promoting an antioxidant environment (31).
- Lithium: This ingredient is best known for its role in stabilizing neuronal disorders; it can also yield neuroprotective effects against ROS for alleviating mitochondrial dysfunction (32).
- Ginger: Ginger extract has been reported to increase mitochondrial biogenesis (and mtDNA content) to protect against metabolic disorders usually linked to oxidative damage (33, 34).
Key Takeaways
The connection between reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative damage, and mitochondrial activity is undeniable. This dynamic interplay establishes a delicate balance where mitochondrial dysfunction emerges both as a cause and a consequence of oxidative stress. Furthermore, the multifaceted nature of mitochondrial dysfunction — encompassing defects in bioenergetics, biogenesis, mitophagy, and dynamics — is a primary hallmark of aging.
Understanding the pivotal role of mitochondria in skin aging opens the door to potential interventions. NOVOS Core contains several ingredients beneficial for both mitochondria and skin, offering a targeted solution to address the root causes of aging. By addressing mitochondrial dysfunction in this way, we can mitigate the effects of skin aging, unveiling a holistic approach to preserving skin vitality from the inside out.
Matilde Miranda
Matilde Miranda, PhD is a seasoned molecular biologist with a fascination for the cutting-edge research happening in skin/longevity fields. She received her doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles, and then pursued a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Tokyo. She has previously worked on projects encompassing G-protein-coupled receptor signaling in hair follicle stem cell maintenance, and the role of DNA damage in hair loss and skin aging. Skin care is a personal and professional interest of hers, as you can often find her optimizing skincare routines, evaluating popular products, and exploring every cosmetics aisle across the world.
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