Fruits are rich in antioxidants and ripe for topical therapy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Human skin, exposed to a plethora of environmental insults that lead to free radicals and free radical damage, is equipped with an endogenous set of antioxidants, but these systems can become overwhelmed. Much study has focused on the therapeutic role of topical antioxidants but only a few investigate the utility of fruit extracts. Fruits are a rich source of diverse antioxidants and this article reviews their use for topical antioxidant protection.

METHODS

MEDLINE searches from 1966 to August 2008 and EMBASE searches from January 1974 through August 2008 were conducted for articles in English. In vitro and in vivo studies of fruit extracts used specifically with skin tissue or skin cells were selected for review.

CONCLUSIONS

Fruits show diverse antioxidant activity in vitro and upon topical use in vivo. Studies have focused on antioxidant activity against reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ROS-induced signaling cascades. However, there has been little study regarding activity against reactive nitrogen or carbonyl species. Fruits may serve as a versatile source of antioxidants that can be harnessed for topical use. Several studies have shown efficacy in human in vivo studies and future studies will elucidate the versatility and clinical use of fruit extracts.