Superoxide Dismutase

Zheng M, et al. Antioxidants, 2023, 12(9), 1675.

SOD is an oxygen free radical scavenger with clear sun and radiation protection benefits. Meanwhile, SOD is an anti-inflammatory enzyme, and therefore obviously anti-inflammatory. Researchers have done lots of studies on the toxicity of superoxide dismutase and they've found that superoxide dismutase has no toxic side effects, and is a very safe cosmetic ingredient.
· Case 1: Langerhans cell migration to lymph nodes is impaired in EC-SOD transgenic mice. Because EC-SOD suppresses contact hypersensitivity by blocking the inflammatory pathway, EC-SOD could be used to treat inflammatory skin disorders.
· Case 2: Subjects received pretreatment with superoxide dismutase and cell-penetrating peptide (TAT-SOD) one hour before exposure to ultraviolet b (UVB) radiation, which increased the mean minimal erythema dose by 36.6 ± 18.4% compared with vehicle controls. And TAT-SOD pretreatment can reduce the formation of apoptotic sunburn cells in all subjects by 47.6±8.6%. This confirms that topical application of superoxide dismutase and cell-penetrating peptide (TAT-SOD) significantly reduces ultraviolet b (UVB)-induced skin damage.
· Case 3: Studies have confirmed that superoxide dismutase-loaded vesicles were prepared through a thin-layer hydration method and delivered to guinea pig skin hair follicles, and then penetrated through the synthetic membrane and guinea pig skin.

Palmieri G, et al. Journal of biotechnology, 2019, 302, 101-111.

The use of the enzyme is limited due to its inactivity after addition to skin care formulations and exposure of the skin to UV light and heat. This work investigated and characterized a manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) derived from the extremophilic bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans and found it to be extremely resistant to UV radiation.
The sodA gene of D. radiodurans was first cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli and then in tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) cells to obtain a plant extract rich in SOD, more suitable for skin care applications.
The corresponding protein (MnSOD_Dr)-tomato cell extract exhibited extremophilic properties and excellent resistance to high doses of UVB. And human skin cells treated with this extract showed increased viability and reduced DNA fragmentation caused by H2O2, even when the extract had been previously treated with UVB for 7 h.
In addition, the recombinant plant extract maintained SOD activity even in the presence of cosmetic excipients such as the metal chelating compound EDTA.