At the heart of your body’s cells are the mitochondria, small cell organelles which are essential to your proper functioning. Anti-ageing cosmetic manufacturers have developed several strategies in order to protect your mitochondrial wellness, as disturbances affecting them will play a role in the ageing process.
Mitochondria have their own DNA, known as mitochondrial DNA (mDNA), which enables them to multiply or self-destruct regardless of the division of the cell itself. mDNA also allows your mitochondria to be the main power plants of the cell. The inner part of their double membrane has many folds, which helps to promote an intense transformation activity of substances for energy, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). However, at the same time mitochondria generate the ROS (reactive oxygen species), which makes them a prime target of oxidative attacks.
Because mitochondrial DNA is different to other cellular DNA, it is less protected and has fewer repair systems available. So, if the alterations of mDNA are too important, the mitochondrion will self-destruct. This leads to cellular death, which is part of the ageing process. Mitochondria take part in complex signalling pathways and are involved in a number of neurodegenerative diseases associated with ageing. According to Dr. Johan Auwerx, from the Laboratory for Integrative and Systems Physiology at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale of Lausanne, if you decrease your mitochondrial functions by restricting your caloric intake, it could have a positive impact on ageing.
Marwin Edeas, Chairman of the French Society of Antioxidants and organiser of the Congress Targeting Mitochondria, notes, ‘The mitochondrion is at the heart of ageing, hundreds of diseases are related to its dysfunctions. In recent years, scientific advances were achieved on the early detection of mitochondrial alterations but also on the possibility of finding nanocarriers allowing to reach these difficult targets.’
It is therefore crucial to preserve your mitochondria, which is something that cosmetics manufacturers are all too aware of. You may have noticed products boasting innovations in this area for several years now, with your skin being provided with these valuable substances. Mrs C. Peyreigne, a biologist and founder of Oxincell, a company specialising in the study and analysis of the mitochondrial function, adds, ‘it is likely that mitochondriology will become in the coming years, one of the leading disciplines of the 21st century.’