Eugenol mitigates aging-related hair follicle loss and preserves skin ECM constituents in D-galactose-injected female rats. | ||
| Egyptian Journal of Chemistry | ||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 16 November 2025 | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejchem.2025.427068.12386 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Rawan Hamdy1; Marwa khattab* 1; Sara Baraka2; Reda Korany3 | ||
| 1Pathology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University | ||
| 2National Research Centre | ||
| 3Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: eugenol is a promising anti-skin aging agent due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory bioactivities. Objective: Our study evaluated the capability of oral administration of eugenol to preserve skin structure and stimulate hair follicle regeneration in D-galactose (D-GAL)-induced skin aging model. Methods: Rats were divided into four groups: control, eugenol, D-GAL, and D-GAL+ eugenol groups. The aging model was achieved by i.p injection of 300 mg/kg D-GAL together with orally administered Eugenol (20 mg/Kg) for 12 weeks. Histopathological analysis, follicle count, immunohistochemistry of TGF-β1 and VEGF, oxidative stress biomarkers and antioxidants, and skin constituents (MMP3, COL1A1, Elastin) levels were estimated. Results: Eugenol mitigated skin damage, including thinning of both epidermis and dermis, and distorted collagen organization, and increased the number of hair follicles in the deep subcutis. Eugenol preserved redox homeostasis, as significantly increased SOD (3.5 folds) and decreased 8-OHdG (61.35%) compared to D-GAL group. The degradation of skin extracellular matrix caused by D-GAL was also ameliorated by eugenol as it significantly (p<0.0001) decreased MMP3 (62.79%) and improved COL1A1 and elastin (85.785% and 213.45, respectively). Eugenol increased (p<0.0001) TGF-β1 and VEGF immunoreactivity. Conclusion: Eugenol showed protective effects in combating skin aging and improving hair growth. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Eugenol; Skin aging; MMP-3; TGF-β1; VEGF | ||
|
Statistics Article View: 12 |
||
