Fatemeh Safaie

Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

Title: The Probiotic Skin Care and Anti-Aging Effects: Microbial Allies for Rejuvenation

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Biography

Fatemeh Safaei is currently pursuing her PhD in Biotechnology at the Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST), where her research focuses on the anticancer and anti-aging properties of lactic acid bacteria in promoting skin health.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from Azad University, North Tehran Branch (2011–2015), and a Master’s degree in Biotechnology from Azad University, Tehran Medical Branch (2015–2018).

Fatemeh has hands-on experience in microbial research, including an internship project aimed at optimizing culture media for industrial probiotic strains to enhance biomass production. Her academic and research journey reflects a strong passion for microbiome science, particularly in exploring the therapeutic potential of beneficial microbes in dermatological and aging-related applications.

Abstract

Skin is the largest organ and the outermost defensive layer, protecting it against the external destructive threats, including UV radiation, air pollution, and pathogens that interfere with its functions and consequently would result in different disorders such as aging. Although aging is a natural age-related phenomenon, comprising molecular and cellular damage accumulation throughout the lifetime, it is accelerated by various destructive treatments. It leads to the decline of functional efficacy of the organs, and the skin also undergoes this process. Thus, it is necessary to protect the skin to retard aging progression and help it reserve its efficacy. In this regard, there are various anti-aging therapeutics and surgical approaches. Meanwhile, probiotics, especially lactic acid bacteria, are believed to be a regulatory agent for sustaining microbial balance. The commensal microbes living on the skin play a crucial role in sustaining skin health and improving skin aging-related disorders. It is indicated that probiotics can produce several bioactive compounds such as hyaluronic acid, folate, lactic acid, and short-chain fatty acids by which, exerting their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiaging, and anticancer effects. In this article, we aim to review the skin-related health benefits of the oral and topical applications of probiotic bacteria, alongside evaluating some experimental results related to the analysis of antiaging properties of some lactic acid bacteria. Given the obtained results, comparing some lactic acid bacterial strains, it is shown that Steptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus PTCC1738 and Lactobacillus acidophilus PTCC1643 are capable of significantly producing more amount of hyaluronic acid, alongside indicating antioxidant activity, and regarding folate production, the results showed that Steptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus PTCC1738 was able to produce the compound significantly more than other species. Hence, it is concluded that it would be possible to apply them as some anti-aging approaches.