Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids: Potential Health and Beauty Ingredients

Abstract

Human skin is constantly exposed to damaging ultraviolet radiation (UVR), which induces a number of acute and chronic disorders. To reduce the risk of UV-induced skin injury, people apply an additional external protection in the form of cosmetic products containing sunscreens. Nowadays, because of the use of some chemical filters raises a lot of controversies, research focuses on exploring novel, fully safe and highly efficient natural UV-absorbing compounds that could be used as active ingredients in sun care products. A promising alternative is the application of multifunctional mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), which can effectively compete with commercially available filters. Here, we outline a complete characterization of these compounds and discuss their enormous biotechnological potential with special emphasis on their use as sunscreens, activators of cells proliferation, anti-cancer agents, anti-photoaging molecules, stimulators of skin renewal, and functional ingredients of UV-protective biomaterials.

The interactive effects of stratospheric ozone depletion, UV radiation, and climate change on aquatic ecosystems

“…192 Other legislation has been submitted to the European Union that calls for a ban on oxybenzone-containing sunscreens. 224 MAAs found in phytoplankton and macroalgae (section 4.3.6) serve as natural UV sunscreens, and may have potential as alternative sunscreens for humans 37,121 (see also Chapter 2). UV sunscreen compounds have been found in freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems in many different regions and countries.…”

Enigmatic Microalgae from Aeroterrestrial and Extreme Habitats in Cosmetics: The Potential of the Untapped Natural Sources

“…Mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), the strongest natural paramount molecules in sun protection due to their function as a primary sunscreen to reduce short-wavelength light, were considered to be novel antioxidants scavenging toxic oxygen radicals [98][99][100][101]. Therefore, currently all members of the MAAs family are recognized as potential fully safe and highly efficient health and beauty ingredients in sun care products as a promising alternative to the commercially available filters for skin protection from UVR [14,[102][103][104]. Moreover, MAAs represent an important intracellular nitrogen reservoir [14,98], which have shown strong abilities in wound healing [14,104], and specifically, mycosporine-glycine has great antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging activities, which makes it an important candidate for use in cosmeceutical fields [25,105].…”

Marine Bacteria versus Microalgae: Who Is the Best for Biotechnological Production of Bioactive Compounds with Antioxidant Properties and Other Biological Applications?

“…Mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) are a family of secondary metabolites with a molecular weight of less than 400 Da. MAAs are colorless, uncharged, and water-soluble ampholytes with similar chemical structures differing in amino acid composition and are produced by bacteria and microalgae living in high sunlight habitats as a response to solar radiation [294]. Both prokaryotic and eukaryotic microalgae can be a source for the extraction of MAAs with the capability to be utilized in sunscreens.…”