Grape compounds combat UV rays

Barcelona, Spain - A Spanish study has found that some compounds found in grapes help to protect skin cells from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, Medical News Today reports.

In an in vitro laboratory study, scientists from the University of Barcelona and the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) demonstrated that some polyphenolic substances extracted from grapes can reduce the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROSs) in human epidermis cells that have been exposed to long- and medium-wave UV radiation. When activated by UV rays, ROSs stimulate certain reactions and enzymes that cause cell death.

The authors wrote that these “encouraging results should be taken into consideration in clinical pharmacology using plant-based polyphenolic extracts to develop new photoprotection skin products.” Cosmetics and drugs containing grape compounds have been available, but how these compounds act on cells has not been well understood until now.

The study was published in the May 11 issue of Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.