Cosmetic and Therapeutic Applications of Fish Oil’s Fatty Acids on the Skin

Abstract

Fish oil has been broadly reported as a potential supplement to ameliorate the severity of some skin disorders such as photoaging, skin cancer, allergy, dermatitis, cutaneous wounds, and melanogenesis. There has been increasing interest in the relationship of fish oil with skin protection and homeostasis, especially with respect to the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). The other PUFAs, such as α-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA), also show a beneficial effect on the skin. The major mechanisms of PUFAs for attenuating cutaneous inflammation are the competition with the inflammatory arachidonic acid and the inhibition of proinflammatory eicosanoid production. On the other hand, PUFAs in fish oil can be the regulators that affect the synthesis and activity of cytokines for promoting wound healing. A systemic review was conducted to demonstrate the association between fish oil supplementation and the benefits to the skin. The following describes the different cosmetic and therapeutic approaches using fatty acids derived from fish oil, especially ALA, LA, DHA, and EPA. This review summarizes the cutaneous application of fish oil and the related fatty acids in the cell-based, animal-based, and clinical models. The research data relating to fish oil treatment of skin disorders suggest a way forward for generating advances in cosmetic and dermatological uses.

Nutricosmetics: A brief overview

“…Omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, α‐linolenic acid, and linoleic acid; Figure ) are used in skin‐related diseases to ameliorate the symptoms of photoaging, cancer, dermatitis, wound healing, and melanogenesis. They compete with the arachidonic acid to inhibit proinflammatory eicosanoid production and regulate the synthesis and the activity of cytokines to promote wound healing (Huang, Wang, Yang, Chou, & Fang, ).…”

“…They compete with the arachidonic acid to inhibit proinflammatory eicosanoid production and regulate the synthesis and the activity of cytokines to promote wound healing (Huang, Wang, Yang, Chou, & Fang, 2018).…”

Epigenetic treatment of dermatologic disorders

“…Nrf2‐activating compounds are becoming staple ingredients in topically applied skin‐conditioning creams and other formulations that mitigate skin damage (Ahmed, ; Ben‐Nun, ; Braidy et al, ; Burke, ; Davinelli, Nielsen, & Scapagnini, ; Gorini et al, ; Huang, Wang, Yang, Chou, & Fang, ; Kocot, Kiełczykowska, Luchowska‐Kocot, Kurzepa, & Musik, ; Kunnumakkara et al, ; Lephart, ; Ríos, Giner, Marín, & Recio, ; Rodríguez‐Luna et al, ; Simitzis, ; Vega et al, , ; Vollmer et al, ; Yang et al, ; Yokota, Yahagi, & Masaki, ), promote skin repair (Bellot et al, ; Davinelli, Nielsen, & Scapagnini, ; Ferreira & Gomes, ; Kim et al, ; Yang et al, ), and enhance diabetic‐associated wound healing (Bellot et al, ; Ben‐Nun, ; Cuadrado et al, ; Ferreira & Gomes, ; Gorini et al, ; Huang et al, ; Kim et al, ; Kocot et al, ; Kunnumakkara et al, ; Panahi et al, ; Ríos et al, ; Sanchez, Lancel, Boulanger, & Neviere, ; Vega et al, ; Vega et al, ; Vollmer et al, ). With respect to the latter, almost a third of the world's population is considered to be overweight or obese (González‐Muniesa et al, ) and the percentage is rising to epidemic proportions (Blaszczak et al, ; Severin, Sabbahi, Mahmoud, Arena, & Phillips, ).…”

“…Nrf2-activating compounds are becoming staple ingredients in topically applied skin-conditioning creams and other formulations that mitigate skin damage (Ahmed, 2019;Ben-Nun, 2018;Braidy et al, 2019;Burke, 2018;Davinelli, Nielsen, & Scapagnini, 2018;Gorini et al, 2019;Huang, Wang, Yang, Chou, & Fang, 2018;Kocot, Kiełczykowska, Luchowska-Kocot, Kurzepa, & Musik, 2018;Kunnumakkara et al, 2017;Lephart, 2018;Ríos, Giner, Marín, & Recio, 2018;Rodríguez-Luna et al, 2018;Simitzis, 2018;Vega et al, 2017Vega et al, , 2018Vollmer et al, 2018;Yokota, Yahagi, & Masaki, 2018), promote skin repair (Bellot et al, 2019;Davinelli, Nielsen, & Scapagnini, 2018;Ferreira & Gomes, 2018;, and enhance diabeticassociated wound healing (Bellot et al, 2019;Ben-Nun, 2018;Cuadrado et al, 2019;Ferreira & Gomes, 2018;Gorini et al, 2019;Huang et al, 2018;Kocot et al, 2018;Kunnumakkara et al, 2017;Panahi et al, 2019;Ríos et al, 2018;Sanchez, Lancel, Boulanger, & Neviere, 2018;Vega et al, 2017;Vega et al, 2018;Vollmer et al, 2018).…”

17( S ),18( R )‐epoxyeicosatetraenoic acid generated by cytochrome P450 BM‐3 from Bacillus megaterium inhibits the development of contact hypersensitivity via G‐protein‐coupled receptor 40‐mediated neutrophil suppression

“…ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are well known to exert beneficial effects on various inflammatory diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis . However, the molecular mechanisms through which ω3 PUFAs exert such beneficial effects are not fully understood.…”