The enzyme DNA polymerase that replicates cellular chromosomes during mitosis cannot replicate the final base pairs of each chromosome, resulting in progressive telomere shortening with each cellular division. The somatic cells have telomeres at the terminal portion of the eukaryotic chromosomes which consist of many hundreds of tandem short sequence repeats (TTAGGG) predetermining the number of times the cell can divide before it senesces. This leads the organism towards premature aging and death, which in turn shall depend on its repair systems. One must also remember that cumulative damage to the genes and proteins derived thereof, result in compromised function and homeostatic failure. Aging is thus the result of a genetic program or a clock that is implanted in the genetic make-up of each species. With age the skin’s natural rejuvenation process slows drastically and the skin becomes thinner, drier, and less elastic ( Ramos-E-Silva et al 2001).Īging represents a biologic attrition at the cellular level resulting in decreased reserve capacity and ability to perform normal functions occurs throughout an organisms’ life span increasing the likelihood of death. The combination of the cornified hydrophilic cells with the hydrophobic intercellular material forms a barrier for the external hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances. Lamellar lipids accumulate in the intercellular spaces, which are strongly hydrophobic. The cells develop a cornified involucre resulting from the intercrossing of involucrin and keratohyalin. Keratin is aligned in the intercrossed disulfidic macrofibres along with filaggrin, the main protein component of the keratolytic granule. The stratum corneum formed from nonviable corneocytes plays the major role. The newly synthesized type I procollagen is secreted into the dermal extracellular space where it undergoes enzymatic processing to arrange itself into a triple helix configuration ( Rittié and Fisher 2002).Īpart from environmental protection against radiation, functions of the skin include heat regulation, immune response, biochemical synthesis, sensory detection, regulation of absorption/loss of water and electrolytes. The other extracellular matrix proteins, which are a part of the skin connective tissue, are collagens (III, V, and VII), elastin, proteoglycans, fibronectin, etc. Type I collagen is the most abundant protein in the skin connective tissue. The subcutaneous tissue consists of fat cells that underline the connective tissue network. The vascular supply to the skin resides in the dermis. A basement membrane separates the epidermis from the dermis, which primarily contains extracellular proteins produced by the fibroblasts below. The epidermis is mainly composed of keratinocytes, pigment-producing melanocytes, and antigen-presenting Langerhans cells. The skin is a complex organ with multiple structures and cell types and divided into three layers: epidermis, dermis, and the subcutaneous tissue. Skin – the largest organ of the body – protects all the other organs from the external environment. However, more elaborate clinical studies are required to confirm their advantage in the delivery of topical retinoids. In particular, nanoparticles have shown a good potential in improving the stability, tolerability and efficacy of retinoids like tretinoin and retinol. In order to minimize these side effects, various novel drug delivery systems have been developed. This problem is more prominent with tretinoin and tazarotene whereas other retinoids mainly represented by retinaldehyde and retinol are considerably less irritating. Although retinoids show promise in the treatment of skin aging, irritant reactions such as burning, scaling or dermatitis associated with retinoid therapy limit their acceptance by patients. Amongst the retinoids, tretinoin possibly is the most potent and certainly the most widely investigated retinoid for photoaging therapy. Various natural and synthetic retinoids have been explored for the treatment of aging and many of them have shown histological and clinical improvement, but most of the studies have been carried out in patients presenting with photoaged skin. Chronological and photoaging both have clinically differentiable manifestations. While intrinsic or chronological aging is an inevitable process, photoaging involves the premature aging of skin occurring due to cumulative exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Aging of skin is an intricate biological process consisting of two types.
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