A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial was conducted to investigate the
beneficial effect of probiotic and prebiotic fermented milk on the skin of healthy adult
women. Forty healthy Japanese adult female volunteers with healthy skin randomly received
either a bottle of probiotic and prebiotic fermented milk containing
Bifidobacterium breve strain Yakult and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS)
(active group) or a non-fermented placebo milk containing neither probiotics nor GOS
(placebo group) daily for 4 weeks. Before and after intake, hydration levels and cathepsin
L-like activity in the stratum corneum and phenol levels in the serum and urine were
determined. After intake, the hydration level of the stratum corneum decreased
significantly in only the placebo group and was significantly lower than in the active
group (p=0.031). Cathepsin L-like activity, an indicator of keratinocyte differentiation,
was significantly increased in the active group (p=0.027). Serum and urine phenol levels
decreased significantly in the active group (p=0.014, p=0.002, respectively), and serum
phenol levels were significantly lower in the active group compared with the placebo group
(p=0.006). The consecutive intake of probiotic and prebiotic fermented milk can benefit
skin condition without dryness and decrease the levels of phenol production by gut
bacteria in healthy adult women.
Recent studies have shown that some probiotics affect not only the gut but also the skin. However, the effects of probiotics on ultraviolet (UV)-induced skin damage are poorly understood. In this study, we aim to examine whether oral administration of live Bifidobacterium breve strain Yakult (BBY), a typical probiotic, can attenuate skin barrier perturbation caused by UV and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in hairless mice. The mice were orally supplemented with a vehicle only or BBY once a day for nine successive days. Mouse dorsal skin was irradiated with UV from days 6 to 9. The day after the final irradiation, the transepidermal water loss (TEWL), stratum corneum hydration, and oxidation-related factors of the skin were evaluated. We elucidated that BBY prevented the UV-induced increase in TEWL and decrease in stratum corneum hydration. In addition, BBY significantly suppressed the UV-induced increase in hydrogen peroxide levels, oxidation of proteins and lipids, and xanthine oxidase activity in the skin. Conversely, antioxidant capacity did not change regardless of whether BBY was administered or not. In parameters we evaluated, there was a positive correlation between the increase in TEWL and the oxidation levels of proteins and lipids. Our results suggest that oral administration of BBY attenuates UV-induced barrier perturbation and oxidative stress of the skin, and this antioxidative effect is not attributed to enhancement of antioxidant capacity but to the prevention of ROS generation.
Our findings suggest that oral administration of probiotic BBY has the potential to prevent UV-induced skin damage, supporting the hypothesis that probiotics are beneficial not only to the intestine but also to the skin.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.