Natural Compounds in Milk and Blueberries Inhibited UVB-induced Swelling: Study

Elysium Health, Inc. and Weill Cornell Medicine say a recently published study has demonstrated that the combination of two natural compounds found in milk and blueberries—nicotinamide riboside (NR) and pterostilbene—inhibited UVB-induced swelling of the skin and immune suppression in a preclinical model.

The study, published in Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, aimed to determine whether NR and/or pterostilbene (PT)— ingredients Elysium Health’s oral supplement known as Basis —administered systemically inhibits inflammatory effects and immune suppression in response to UVB exposure.

Dr. Richard Granstein, chair of the department of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine and Elysium Health Scientific Advisory Board member, served as the principal investigator. Dr. Granstein also holds equity in Elysium Health. 

The study found that Elysium’s NR and PT have a synergistic effect in the skin’s response to UVB exposure; given together they inhibit UVB-induced tissue swelling more than either alone, according to Elysium. Oral administration of Elysium’s NRPT also inhibited UVB-induced immune suppression, the company asserts.

In the paper, NR and PT- had a synergistic effect in the skin’s response to sun exposure, mitigating sun-induced damage in a preclinical model.

“Despite widespread use of sunscreen, the incidence of skin cancer has been increasing, including in young adults,” said Ryan Dellinger, Ph.D, co-author on the study and Elysium Health VP of scientific affairs. “While more research is needed, this study is an encouraging step toward exploring the potential of NRPT to mitigate the effects of harmful sun exposure, the primary cause of skin cancer.”

UVB radiation causes inflammatory effects (assessed as tissue swelling) and suppression of the normal immune response in the skin. After four weeks of feeding Elysium’s NRPT at an equivalent dose and ratio to Basis, the study exposed mice to UVB light and saw decreased tissue swelling and immune suppression in those fed Elysium’s NRPT compared to control.

Sun exposure, which includes UVA and UVB rays, triggers the formation of free radicals, which deplete nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) levels and accelerate skin aging. As a direct NAD+ precursor, NR replenishes levels of NAD+ and has been clinically demonstrated to do so in humans by 40%. In another study, a less direct NAD+ precursor, nicotinamide, was found to reduce the rate of new skin cancers in high-risk patients by 23% compared with placebo when administered orally. Further, PT administered alone has been shown to prevent skin cancer in mice, according to the paper authors. While additional research is needed to determine if the benefits of oral administration of Elysium’s NRPT can be extended to humans, the synergistic effect indicates that these molecules work via distinct mechanisms, thus increasing the chances of successful translation to humans. Preclinically, as shown in this study, proactive administration of Elysium’s NRPT mitigates the effects of UV exposure and provides a preventative, protective benefit against UVB-induced damage.

“When we developed Basis over 10 years ago, the aim of synergy between its two ingredients was central to the formulation,” said Elysium Health CEO Eric Marcotulli. “This was built on decades of research at my co-founder Dr. Leonard Guarente’s lab at MIT. We now have 16 ongoing or completed trials in humans for Basis and we have long hypothesized that the combination of NR and PT is why our product far outperforms clinical trials studying the effects of NR alone, and at far lower doses. It’s gratifying to see the synergy demonstrated in this study, and we look forward to continuing to advance longevity research, in particular, for natural small molecules like NR and PT with great potential to improve human healthspan.” 

The study was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health and Elysium Health.

The full paper is available in the May 2024 issue of Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine.