4’-acetoxy resveratrol, equol may improve wrinkles, skin firmness in postmenopausal women

Novel compounds 4’-acetoxy resveratrol and equol were associated with improvements in eight skin parameters in a cohort of postmenopausal women, according to a study.

“The narrative for this overview focuses on the decline of 17 beta-estradiol levels from ovarian sites after menopause,” Edwin D. Lephart, PhD, of the department of physiology, developmental biology and The Neuroscience Center at the College of Life Sciences at Brigham Young University, and Frederick Naftolin, MD, of e-Bio Corp., wrote in their paper. “This estrogen-decient condition is associated with a dramatic reduction in skin health and wellness by negatively impacting dermal cellular and homeostatic mechanisms, as well as other important biological functions.”

Loss of collagen may occur, along with loss of elastin, broblast function and vascularity. Increased matrix metalloproteinases enzymatic activities can lead to cellular and extracellular degradation, which, in turn, results in a number of adverse dermatologic outcomes such as dryness, wrinkles, atrophy, impaired wound healing/barrier function and decreased antioxidant capacity. The researchers suggested that these manifestations may affect self-image, psychological health and increased perception of aging.

While long-standing therapies, such as low-dose menopausal hormone treatment, may have the capacity to reverse non-serious cases of estrogen-deficient skin, novel interventions targeting selective estrogen receptor modulators have evolved.

In the study, Lephart and Naftolin reviewed two phytoestrogen/botanical interventions, an analog of resveratrol called 4’-acetoxy resveratrol (4AR) and equol.

The researchers looked at eight parameters for the two therapies. Parameters were assessed by percent change from baseline.

For skin firmness around the eyes, equol was associated with a 78% improvement from baseline compared with 68% for 4AR. For skin smoothness, the improvement rates were 63% for equol and 71% for 4AR. Even skin tone improved 70% for equol and 83% for 4AR, while the rates of frown lines or wrinkles were 72% for equol and 77% for 4AR. Radiance and brightness rates were comparable (73% for equol vs. 72% for 4AR), while rates for pore size (52% vs. 63%), skin spots and discoloration (56% vs. 73%) and hydration (71% vs. 72%) slightly favored 4AR over equol.

“In general, the percent improvement in the eight skin areas for both treatments were similar,” Lephart and Naftolin wrote. “The slightly higher percentages for some of the skin parameters for the 4AR vs. the equol technology may be due to the difference in the number of postmenopausal women, where the equol study had 20% more female subjects that were amenorrheic for at least 3 years compared with the 4AR subjects.”

In addition, the 4AR treatment was more than three times more concentrated than the equol treatment, 1% vs. 0.3%, respectively, according to Lephart and Naftolin. “Therefore, 4AR and equol along with many other botanicals may be considered as active ingredients in cosmetic topical and oral applications,” they wrote.