Who is more representative?

From the previous chapter, we know the advantages and disadvantages of ergothioneine and grape seed extract. This article will take you to another popular substance in the whitening and anti-aging supplement market-astaxanthin.

Many people and brands know that astaxanthin is another whitening and anti-aging related nutrient. This article aims to convey the powerful effects of ergothioneine through empirical evidence. Learn about its benefits on human physiology. Check why ergothioneine is an underestimated nutrient.

*This product uses fungi grown in the siyobio laboratory, one of the first companies in the world to fully synthesize ergothioneine using microbial cell factories and achieve mass production.

Understanding Antioxidants

Ergothioneine

Unique Properties

Ergothioneine is a unique amino acid predominantly sourced from fungi, renowned for its powerful antioxidant capabilities that differ significantly from traditional antioxidants.

A key feature of ergothioneine is how it enters cells. It uses the OCTN1 transporter, a special protein. This transporter helps ergothioneine reach cells that are under oxidative stress. This targeted mechanism allows ergothioneine to reach and safeguard critical cellular components such as mitochondria and DNA.

Furthermore, ergothioneine's remarkable stability enables it to remain active and effective even in challenging oxidative conditions. Unlike other antioxidants that can lose strength over time, it offers lasting protection. It does this by neutralizing free radicals, removing harmful metals, and reducing oxidative damage. This helps to promote overall cellular health.

Current Uses

Ergothioneine is gaining recognition as a valuable ingredient in supplements and skincare products, thanks to its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Highly effective at combating signs of aging, such as wrinkles and fine lines. It may also help lighten the skin.

Additionally, ongoing research investigates its potential to address chronic conditions like heart disease, neurodegenerative disorders, and diabetes, which closely associate with oxidative stress.

Astaxanthin

Bright red nutrients

Astaxanthin is a naturally occurring carotenoid that is primarily extracted from microalgae such as Haematococcus pluvialis. People know astaxanthin for its bright red-orange color. A strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound exists. People often call it the "king of carotenoids."

Astaxanthin is different from many antioxidants. It has a special molecular structure. This structure lets it cross the lipid bilayer. It protects both the inner and outer layers of the cell membrane.

Key Features

Bright Color: Astaxanthin has a bright red color. This makes it eye-catching and shows how strong it is.

You can find this pink pigment in salmon, shrimp, and flamingos. They get it from eating algae that are rich in astaxanthin. This is why they are pink in color.

Anti-inflammatory Properties: Researchers have extensively studied astaxanthin for its ability to reduce inflammation. By inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS), it helps alleviate chronic inflammation – a significant factor in aging and degenerative diseases.

Wide Benefits: People recognize astaxanthin for its many uses. It helps eye health, protects skin, supports the heart, and boosts endurance.

Current Uses

Astaxanthin’s unique properties make it a popular ingredient in dietary supplements,  functional foods, and skincare products. People often sell it for its ability to protect against UV skin damage. It can also help muscle recovery and promote eye health. This happens by reducing oxidative stress in the retina.

Ergothioneine vs Astaxanthin

1. Whitening effect

The main idea of testing a substance's whitening effect is its ability to block tyrosinase. This enzyme is important for making melanin.

Melanin is important for skin color. By controlling its production, we can lighten skin tone and reduce pigmentation problems.

In this experiment, we tested how two substances—ergothioneine and astaxanthin—stop tyrosinase. We used a concentration of 15.6 mg/L. The results showed that ergothioneine had a tyrosinase inhibition rate of 11.7%.

This is much higher than astaxanthin, which only had a 1.2% inhibition at the same concentration. This suggests that ergothioneine is more effective at inhibiting tyrosinase activity compared to astaxanthin at lower doses.

Also, the amount of ergothioneine needed to significantly inhibit is quite low. This means its whitening ability works well at a small dose. It can still have strong effects even at lower concentrations. This makes ergothioneine a more effective choice for whitening formulations.

These findings show that ergothioneine can be a good whitening agent. This makes it a useful ingredient in cosmetics and skincare products that aim to reduce pigmentation. In contrast, astaxanthin has some benefits. However, its ability to inhibit tyrosinase is much lower at the tested concentrations.

2. Mitochondrial function in aging models

The JC-1 fluorescent probe is a useful tool. Researchers often use it to check mitochondrial membrane potential. This potential is an important sign of cell health. When mitochondria maintain a high membrane potential, JC-1 aggregates in the matrix and forms polymers, which produce red fluorescence.

When the mitochondrial membrane potential drops, which often happens in early apoptosis, JC-1 stays in its monomer form. This form emits green fluorescence. The ratio of red to green fluorescence is a simple and reliable way to see changes in mitochondrial function. This includes the early stages of apoptosis.

In this experiment, we used the JC-1 probe to check the mitochondrial membrane potential. Researchers conducted this in a cell senescence model caused by hydrogen peroxide, which leads to free radical buildup.

In the senescent cell model, the green fluorescence was much stronger. The red fluorescence was weak. This shows that the mitochondrial membrane potential went down and apoptosis started.

Interestingly, as the concentration of ergothioneine gradually increased, the red fluorescence level increased significantly, corresponding to the improvement of mitochondrial membrane potential. Specifically, at a concentration of 15.6 mg/L, ergothioneine increased red fluorescence by 39.1%* (p<0.05) compared to the model group, indicating that ergothioneine has the effect of enhancing mitochondrial function, even under oxidative stress conditions.

In contrast, at the same concentration, astaxanthin had a smaller effect on mitochondrial membrane potential than ergothioneine. This shows that ergothioneine is better at restoring mitochondrial function in aging cells.

These findings suggest that ergothioneine can greatly improve mitochondrial health. It may also delay or alleviate the early stages of apoptosis. This makes it a promising compound for the treatment of aging-related diseases.

It can also change mitochondrial membrane potential at low levels. This suggests that it has promise as a drug to combat cellular aging and oxidative damage.

3. Under the blue light model

Cell state

Blue light irradiation (450nm) has been shown to cause severe damage to keratinocytes, resulting in cell deformation. When exposed to blue light, keratinocytes change shape. They become rounded and detach from the surrounding matrix.

This leads to reduced cell-cell adhesion and larger gaps between cells. Researchers often use this model to test how different compounds protect cells from stress caused by blue light.

In this experiment, after 4 hours of blue light exposure, keratinocytes were significantly deformed and showed expected morphological changes. The cell shape of keratinocytes treated with 7.8 mg/L ergothioneine was similar to that of the control group.

This suggests that ergothioneine helps protect cells from damage caused by blue light and helps protect keratinocytes. It maintains its structure and integrity even after long exposure to blue light.

In contrast, researchers observed no strong protective effect when they treated the cells with 7.8 mg/L of astaxanthin. The cell shape in the astaxanthin-treated group still showed changes and separation. This means that at this level, astaxanthin was not as effective as ergothioneine in reducing damage from blue light.

These findings show that ergothioneine may help protect skin cells from environmental stressors like blue light. Its ability to keep cell shape and connections suggests it may help prevent skin damage from long blue light exposure.

Antioxidant Capacity

Blue light (450nm) increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells. This can cause oxidative stress and damage to cells. Different compounds can lower ROS levels in these conditions.

This ability is a key indicator of their antioxidant properties. We can test how well cells can reduce damage caused by ROS. To do this, we treat the cells with different materials before exposing them to blue light.

In this experiment, after 4 hours of blue light exposure, the ROS level in the model group went up a lot (p < 0.01). This shows that blue light exposure caused oxidative stress. In contrast, cells pre-treated with ergothioneine showed a significant reduction in ROS levels.

Researchers observed no obvious fluorescence indicating ROS in multiple fields of view in the ergothioneine group. The ergothioneine group had three times less ROS content than the model group. This brought their levels closer to the baseline ROS level of the blank group.

This shows that ergothioneine has a strong antioxidant effect. It also greatly lowers the production of ROS when exposed to blue light stress. At the same concentration, astaxanthin also reduced ROS levels.

However, its effect was not as strong. The ROS levels in the astaxanthin-treated group were still much higher than in the ergothioneine group. This shows that ergothioneine is better at reducing ROS production in this blue light model.

These results show that ergothioneine has strong antioxidant properties. This makes it a great choice for protecting cells from oxidative stress caused by blue light. Astaxanthin has antioxidant effects, but they are not as strong as ergothioneine in this model. This suggests that ergothioneine may offer better protection against oxidative damage, especially in areas with blue light exposure.

4. DNA damage repair under UVA model

The comet assay is a widely recognized method for evaluating DNA damage at the single-cell level. The assay uses DNA fluorescence staining to show the difference between intact and fragmented DNA.

Intact DNA stays in a nucleus-like shape that looks like a comet head. Fragmented DNA moves during electrophoresis and creates a comet tail. The length and proportion of the comet tail provide a quantitative measure of DNA damage severity. Smaller and more abundant DNA fragments result in longer comet tails, indicating greater damage.

In this study, researchers utilized UVA irradiation to induce DNA damage, a well-known effect of ultraviolet exposure. The model showed it could simulate DNA damage.

The average comet tail area in the model group was 52.5%*. This is a big increase compared to the blank control group (p<0.01). This confirmed the validity of the experimental setup.

When treated with 15.6 mg/L of ergothioneine, the cells demonstrated a remarkable reduction in DNA damage. The average comet tail area in the ergothioneine-treated group dropped to 16.7%. This shows a 68.2% reduction compared to the model group (p<0.01). This significant improvement suggests that ergothioneine is highly effective in repairing UVA-induced DNA damage.

Similarly, treatment with astaxanthin also showed some DNA repair effects; however, the results were less pronounced. The average comet tail area in the astaxanthin-treated group was 30.7%. This was lower than the model group. However, the difference was not statistically significant.

These findings highlight ergothioneine’s superior capacity for DNA damage repair compared to astaxanthin. Its ability to greatly reduce the comet tail area shows its promise as a protective and healing agent. This is important against UVA-induced oxidative stress and DNA damage.

On the other hand, astaxanthin has some benefits. However, it may not be as effective as ergothioneine in fixing DNA damage in these situations.

Choosing Between Ergothioneine and Astaxanthin

Before choosing ergothioneine or astaxanthin as a supplement, think about your health goals. Decide which antioxidant is best for you. This will help you choose the antioxidant that will benefit you the most.

People revere ergothioneine for its stability and versatility. Thanks to its special OCTN1 transporter, it can focus on high-stress areas. These areas include the liver, brain, skin, and eyes. This provides strong protection for cells.

This makes ergothioneine a great option for people worried about oxidative stress, aging, and long-term cellular health. Its high stability makes it effective even in harsh conditions, like exposure to blue light. This quality is especially useful for protecting the skin from environmental damage.

Ergothioneine has many benefits. It can reduce harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) and help cells survive. This makes it a great option for modern anti-aging and oxidative stress solutions.

On the other hand, astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant that excels in reducing inflammation and promoting overall skin health. Many people recognize it for protecting the skin from UV damage and reducing oxidative stress. However, it may not target cells as precisely as ergothioneine.

Astaxanthin offers good antioxidant support and helps skin and eye health. However, it may not work as well as ergothioneine. This is especially true when dealing with oxidative damage from blue light exposure.

The choice ultimately depends on what you are looking to supplement for. For a strong antioxidant that protects cells and aids in aging, ergothioneine might be a good option.

For general antioxidant support for skin health and inflammation, astaxanthin could be a good supplement.

Always talk to a healthcare professional before adding any supplement to your routine. They can help you find the right product for your needs.