Researchers discover cellular basis for anti-aging cosmetics performance

University of California (UC) Davis and Peking University scientists have discovered a mechanism that could explain how alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs), a cosmetic ingredient used in chemical peels and wrinkle-reducing creams, work to improve skin appearance.

According to the study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry in an article entitled "Intracellular proton-mediated activation of TRPV3 channels accounts for exfoliation effect of alpha hydroxyl acids on keratinocytes," the new considerations of the underlying process may help to better cosmetic formulations as well as have medical applications.

The researchers said AHAs are a group of weak acids that are extracted from natural sources, such as sugar cane, sour milk, apples and citrus, all well known in the cosmetics industry for their ability to improve the appearance and skin texture.

UC Davis membrane biology and physiology division professor Jie Zheng said the experiments are the first to show that the TRPV3 ion channel is likely to be the target of the most effective skin enhancer in the cosmetics industry.

"Although AHAs have been used for years, no one until now understood their likely mechanism of action," said Zheng.

The research team said they have studied the cellular pathway that was primarily focused on an ion channel, which known as transient receptor potential vanilloid 3 (TRPV3) located in the cell membrane of keratinocytes, the predominant cell type in the outer layer of skin.

TRPV3, although found in skin cells, is also located in cells in many areas of the nervous system and is sensitive to temperature as well as acidity.