ANTI-AGEING 33
RNA-based messages: turning back time by trusting your cells
Paul Lawrence, Rebecca Held, Joseph Ceccoli – Biocogent
Cosmetic care has long-embraced phrases like ‘combating ageing’, ‘slowing ageing’, ‘well-ageing’ and even ‘reversing ageing’. Anti-ageing efforts have become central to the scientific research projects sponsored throughout the industry as the so-called ‘Hallmarks of Ageing’ have been deciphered. Has that goal of countering the process
of ageing been achieved? Even if it was, how would that look? What would be the measurable outcomes of ‘reversing ageing’? Wrinkles diminished to the point of disappearance, perhaps? Maybe restoration of an even skin tone with reduced incidence of hyperpigmentation? To date, nearly all such efforts could be
distilled down to a single approach: topical application of a substance that will affect repairs and/or prevent damage to the skin. Consider a new alternative paradigm: we put our faith and confidence in our skin cells to execute those directives better than we can – ‘Trust Your Cells!’. To make this bold approach work requires
an appreciation for the power and utility of nucleic acids – one of nature’s four key biological molecules. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has been formulated into skincare products for a very long time due to its moisturizing properties. Check product labels for ‘DNA salt’ or ‘sodium DNA’. Currently, there is a resurgence in interest
for DNA harvested from sources like salmon sperm. In order to communicate with skin cells to skilfully initiate targeted action, a strategy was devised that involved a lesser-known, more ancient molecule related to DNA: ribonucleic acid (RNA).
Targets Application
The role of RNA It has been speculated that in the history of life on Planet Earth that RNA was the first biological molecule to arise – what is known as ‘The RNA World Hypothesis’ – and as such, had to shoulder all of the activities associated with life.1 And it shows…beyond the fundamental
messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) that were taught to us in high school biology, there are over 40 functionally diverse, non-coding RNAs that have been
TABLE 1: MICRO RNAS OF INTEREST TO THE COSMETIC CARE INDUSTRY microRNA
miR-29a-3p Collagen, elastin, fibrillin Counter miRNA expression to restore ECM fibre components
miR-330-5p Tyrosinase
miR-146a-5p Multiple inflammatory pathways
miR-205 miR-132
Mechanical modification of hair follicle
Transition from inflammatory state to a proliferative one
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Augment miRNA expression to diminish tyrosinase levels and reduce melanogenesis
Augment miRNA expression to diminish inflammation associated with many skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis
Hair regeneration
Improved wound healing; potential ‘hero ingredient’ for diabetic skin
Reference Gallant-Behm et al5 Rambow et al9 Rebane et al7 Wang et al8 Li et al6
characterized to date.2 These include but are certainly not limited to:
short-interfering RNA (siRNA), microRNA (miRNA), small nuclear RNA (snRNA), small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA), piwi-RNA (piRNA), circular RNA (circRNA), and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA). Here, the focus will be exclusively on miRNA and how it influences the degree to which certain proteins are produced in the skin and how that activity can be applied to modern cosmetic care. Cells are constantly sending and receiving
messages. Those messages are often in the form of a specific miRNA. miRNAs are one of two arms of a natural process known as ‘RNA interference’ or simply ‘RNAi’ that is responsible for modulating gene expression in the way a rheostat functions.3 Notably, miRNAs are sometimes found associated with exosomes, interest in which continues to grow within the industry.4 The genetic instructions for the synthesis
of specific molecules are encoded in discrete segments of DNA sequence called genes found in the nuclei of our cells. Expression starts with the conversion of that DNA sequence into a mRNA molecule via a process known as ‘transcription’. The mRNA then exits the nucleus into the
cell cytoplasm where it migrates to and interacts with ribosomes (composed primarily of rRNA) – the ‘protein factories of the cell’. At that stage, a process known as ‘translation’ begins, which coordinates the positioning of the segments of code in the mRNA with tRNAs delivering cognate amino acids to generate a polypeptide chain that will eventually fold into a functional protein. The degree to which protein synthesis
occurs can be modulated by miRNAs that will intercept the mRNA before it can participate in the translation process, thus decreasing the abundance of a particular protein in the cell. Many groups within the cosmetic care industry have sought to develop effective ways to toggle this mechanism such that deleterious proteins are diminished and beneficial proteins have their expression bolstered.
miRNA species of interest Some of the miRNA species that have been most investigated by cosmetic care scientists are enumerated in Table 1 along with their associated functions. These miRNAs include: miR-29a-3p, miR-132, miR-146a-5p, miR-205, and miR-330-5p. The miR-29a family of miRNAs have earned the moniker ‘the wrinkle miRNA’ due to their
January 2026 PERSONAL CARE MAGAZINE
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