# L-Ascorbic Acid (LAA) Supplementation as a Potential Treatment for Skin Aging: Regulation of Adipose Tissue Mesenchymal Stem Cells (AT-MSCs) Protein Secretion

## TL;DR

This study explores how L-ascorbic acid affects mesenchymal stem cells to potentially treat skin aging by regulating protein secretion.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that L-ascorbic acid improves cell morphology and specific protein levels in AT-MSCs secretome for skin aging.

## Key findings

- L-ascorbic acid improved cell morphology without affecting viability.
- LAA preconditioning increased levels of IGF-1, TGF-β1, and IL-6 in AT-MSCs secretome.
- LAA did not significantly increase cell numbers but showed a trend toward enhancement.

## Abstract

Skin aging is mostly caused by the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that lead to cellular dysfunction. One promising therapy for skin aging is the secretome product of adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs). L-ascorbic acid (LAA) is an essential molecule for preventing oxidative stress as an external antioxidant agent and has been used in chemical therapy for skin aging. In this study, we evaluated the effects of LAA on cell morphology, the number of cells, cell viability, and the paracrine secretion of preconditioned AT-MSCs in in vitro culture with LAA in 100 and 200 µg/mL compared with an untreated culture with LAA as a control. LAA supplementation in both concentrations improved the morphology of cells without affecting the cell viability. However, there was no significant improvement in the number of cells even though the trend showed an enhancement of the number of cells. The total protein of the secretome decreased in the LAA preconditioning group. However, preconditioning AT-MSCs in in vitro culture with LAA improved the levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) which are essential proteins for skin aging in regulating ROS.