A new US study published in the latest issue of the journal Scientific Reports found that Methylene Blue has proven effective in protecting from UV irradiation as well as being safe for coral reefs, providing an alternative solution to protecting human skin and the environment.
Around 80% of current sunscreens are harmful to corals as they contain Oxybenzone as a chemical UV blocker, a product known to detrimentally affect corals. In response, many countries have forbidden its use to limit the damage to coral reefs. Additionally, it could cause a lot of damages when used in sunscreen products.
The team of scientists from the University of Maryland examined the UV protection benefits of Methylene Blue from several perspectives. Human keratinocytes and skin fibroblasts were considered from young and old donors and compared UV damage with Oxybenzone.
Results showed that Methylene Blue not only absorbs UVA and UVB as the traditional sunscreen actives do, it also helps repair the DNA damage caused by UV irradiation, leading to overall better cell survival.
The team then exposed the soft Xenia umbellate coral to both Oxybenzone and Methylene Blue. The coral individuals were kept in isolated tanks as researchers monitored the growth and responses to both chemicals. The results showed Oxybenzone-treated Xenia corals suffered drastic bleaching and die-off in less than a week after exposure, while Methylene Blue exposure had no negative effects on coral health even at a relatively high concentration (1 micromolar).
In addition, the researchers also compared Methylene Blue with other skincare antioxidants such as Vitamin A (Retinol) and Vitamin C. This was to examine potential differences in their ability to reduce cellular oxidative stress.
"We are extremely excited to see that skin fibroblasts, derived from both young and old individuals, have improved so much in terms of proliferation and cellular stress in a methylene blue-containing cell culture medium. We found that the combination of Methylene Blue and Vitamin C could deliver amazing anti-aging effects, particularly in skin cells from older donors, suggesting a strong synergistic reaction between these two beneficial antioxidants," said Dr. Kan Cao, senior author and professor of cell biology and molecular genetics at the University of Maryland, in a report.
