What you need to know about INFLAMMAGING

And, why is it a hot topic for skincare (and wellness)? 

Let’s face it, we can’t talk skin(-integrity) care without addressing inflammation. As we age we are more susceptible to it! When the forces of aging and inflammation join, it is crucial to develop targeted approaches to slow the inflammaging process to promote overall skin health.

What is Inflammaging

Inflammaging is ageing-associated chronic inflammation that results from combined genetic, epigenetic, and metabolic dysfunction in different cell types and organs. It can age skin faster by breaking down important components like collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. 

It also compromises the skin’s ability to protect itself and repair damage, and as we age the skin’s ability to maintain its structural integrity diminishes, exacerbating the effects of inflammaging. This can lead to increased vulnerability to external stressors and moisture loss, impede wound healing, and increase wrinkle formation, pigmentation, redness, irritation, and barrier-compromised conditions such as rosacea and eczema.

So, for the past year, NATIVE EXTRACTS has been conducting a study on a number of our Cellular Plant Extracts for the down-regulation of inflammation, headed by Dr Phoebe Zhou, NICM Health Research Institute & Pharmacology Unit, Western Sydney University.

Dr Phoebe Zhou presented the research and the Technical Paper at the ASCC Conference 2024.

 

 

The study reported a number of NATIVE EXTRACTS’ Cellular Extracts demonstrated significant down-regulation of inflammation via the NO (nitric oxide) pathway as well as antioxidant enhancement, and a breakthrough in demonstrating the improved performance of combining entourages. 

We believe the results are a significant breakthrough in plant science and natural sources that could be considered for further investigation in trialling products targeting inflammation.

First we looked at how the individual hydrophilic entourages performed, the top 4 being Bitter Orange, Native River Mint, Mountain Pepper Berry, and Aniseed Myrtle Cellular Extracts Concentrates, achieving what is referred to as therapeutic windows, and at less than 1% extract. Showcasing single entourages do exhibit significant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

The study then measured the impact of multiple combinations (or blends) of the top 3 performing botanicals extracts and found combining the three entourages produced an enhanced effect of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant regulatory activity tan the individual NE Cellular Extract concentrate variants. 

When combined a greater potency and synergy were produced in reducing nitric oxide (a major inflammatory marker) than using each extract individually on macrophage cells. The high antioxidant activity in the three entourages was associated with the upregulation of the antioxidant master regulator, nuclear factor erythroid2-related factor 2 (nrf2), using cellular assays. These results provide preliminary evidence on the natural synergistic and therapeutic value of the NATIVE EXTRACTS NE Cellular Extract Concentrate variants, to address various health conditions including skin health while maintaining its cosmetic value.

Therefore, the plant species in these entourages can potentially target pathological cellular inflammation and oxidative stress which ultimately interferes with the pathogenesis of complex diseases at an early stage. Furthermore, the preliminary results from this study sets a foundation for further exploration into the potential cosmetic use of these plant species for skin damage and beautification.

"This is a significant breakthrough and knowledge we feel important to share, as we expand our research and continue to lead the discovery of of high value botanicals' hydrophilic entourage effects", says Lisa Carroll, Founder NATIVE EXTRACTS  Request the Scientific Technical Paper.

Introducing the combined entourages - Infitrio™: Native River Mint, Mountain Pepper Berry, and Bitter Orange Cellular Extracts.

This information is for educational purposes and is not based on a clinical trial but on pre-clinical work at a research laboratory, NICM Western Sydney University.

4 Main causes of Inflammaging

Inflammation plays a major role in the initiation and progression of many complex diseases including cardiovascular diseases, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. On skin cells, inflammation can induce eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, and psoriasis (Pasparakis et al., 2014). During uncontrollable inflammation, the magnitude and the duration of the inflammatory responses are linked to the excessive productions of proinflammatory modulators like interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and nitric oxide (NO) from activated macrophages. Presently, steroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used as first-line anti-inflammatory medications. However, their long-term use is associated with various side effects (Jahnavi et al., 2019).

INFLAMMAGING relates to how the up-regulation of our inflammatory responses increase as we age. 

Lifestyle

Poor lifestyle choices such as inactive lifestyles, the food you eat to nourish your body, alcohol, how you manage stress in your life, genetics, can all impact inflammaging.

Environmental

Your environment can impact the level of inflammaging that you experience, from your exposure to pollution, injury, to inhaling cigarette smoke, and ingesting food additives.  

Pathogens (germs) like bacteria, viruses, or fungi

It is thought pathogens (germs) can increase the effects of inflammaging on your body by affecting your immune system, damaging your tissue, and slowing or preventing cellular repair.

Age-related changes

As we age, our bodies can become more susceptible to lifestyle factors, our environment, and pathogens, leaving us more likely to experience inflammaging.

Inflammaging: Chronic Inflammation in Skin and Ageing

Addressing inflammation can help to reduce oxidative damage and promote cellular repair that can support smoother, more youthful-looking healthier skin.

Historically it may not always be our primary target of concern in personal care formulation design or new product development, but we are learning more about how inflammation and aging plays a part in making skin age faster by breaking down collagen, elastin, and hydration.

We are sharing this information for education purposes, and for others to explore in their own work. 

Trial our latest breakthroughs, a recent study headed by Dr Phoebe Zhou, NICM Health Research Institute & Pharmacology Unit, Western Sydney University, reported a number of Cellular Extracts achieved therapeutic indexes (via the NO pathway), with further down regulation by combining a number of botanical entourages. We are excited to share this new knowledge in plant science, and further work amplifying the importance of working with a botanical's entourage.

Take a look at the exciting results reported on combining the hydrophilic entourages of the Cellular Extracts blend: Native River Mint, Mountain Pepper Berry, and Bitter Orange.

Last year (2023), we discovered recent findings of botanical Cellular Extracts that show therapeutic indexes for the down regulation of inflammation, via the NO (Nitric oxide) pathways, in recent research led by Dr Phoebe Zhou at NICM Health Research Institute & Pharmacology Unit, Western Sydney University. 

 

Natural Ways to Combat Inflammation

Why we need a plan to combat inflammation!

Our journey starts with pre-clinical work to see if there is a place to further explore botanical extracts, their hydrophilic entourages and their behaviour in modulating inflammation. 

Driven by the concepts of inflammation and infammaging, we believe it is a relevant strategy to compliment primary targeted skin concerns like aging, hyperpigmentation, barrier function repair, moisture loss, deterioration of skin tone, and overall skin health, as they can reflect a correlation between aging and the increase of inflammatory molecules which cause a cascade of events leading to cellular changes; we wanted to share our latest findings and the botanicals worth a deeper dive.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does inflammaging start?

As we age we are more susceptible to inflammation. Inflammaging is a term and a new Cosmetic industry trend that refers to the damage caused when the forces of aging and inflammation join.

Can you reverse inflammaging?

We are pro-aging and celebrate well aging. We believe aging is to be celebrated, it is an important part of the human journey, accumulating in experiences, wisdom to share, longevity and the significant contributions we make over our lifetime to our communities. It is not about reversing inflammaging but recognise it is a factor and having a strategy to modulate chronic upregulation of inflammation as it impacts on our skin and body.

In skin care, there is a common disparity between the health and the aesthetic, separating the products used as drugs and cosmetics. This disparity, we believe is worth further exploration to learn more about which botancials' hydrophilic entourages demonstrate high levels of natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity in safe dosages within skin care products.

Which ingredient is best for anti-inflammation activity?

During uncontrollable inflammation, the magnitude and the duration of the inflammatory responses are linked to the excessive productions of proinflammatory modulators like interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and nitric oxide (NO) from activated macrophages.

Presently, steroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used as first-line anti-inflammatory medications. Globally there is a growing body of research exploring natural plant compounds and potential for new alternatives.  

There are large range of compounds that exhibit down regulation of inflammation vary in which pathways they perform.