Scientists at the Hebrew University and the Bar-Ilan University succeeded in isolating a plant-based antioxidant that delays the aging process by countering the breakdown of collagen fibers in the skin, according to a report Thursday on the science news website of Alpha-Galileo.

Antioxidants operate against free radicals found in small quantities in the body which cause a breakdown of many tissues such as the collagen and elastin fibers in the body, including the skin and when this happens, there is a loss of skin elasticity and the formation of wrinkles, according to leading research Dr. Orit Bossi from the Hebrew University.

"A problem with many of the commercial antioxidants found today in the market that are said to retard the aging process is that they oxidize quickly and therefore their efficiency declines with time," Bossi was quoted as saying.

According to the researchers, Vitamin C oxidizes rapidly and is sensitive to high temperatures, so is the antioxidant EGCG which is found in green tea, and vitamin E. But the antioxidant they used in research is able to withstand high temperatures, soluble in water, and does not oxidize easily and thus remains effective over time.

However the researchers did not reveal the plant source they used to derive the antioxidant, since the research is in the process of being patented, the report said.

The researchers conducted experiments on mice skin tissue which resembles that of humans by applying the antioxidant on two skin cell groups - those which had been exposed to the sun's rays and received the antioxidant and those which also had been exposed to sun but did not receive the antioxidant.

The results showed that the untreated cells showed a rise in free radicals causing wrinkles, while those cells which had been treated showed no significant increase in the free radicals level. The researchers are looking towards a new generation of cosmetic products which will not only combat wrinkles but will be more effective against deeper levels of skin wrinkles than current products.

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