Phenolic Compounds with Photo-Chemoprotective Activity

Skin cancer has one of the highest incidence rates among all types of cancer and is predominantly caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun, which reaches the Earth's surface due to the well-known phenomenon of thinning of the ozone layer in the stratosphere. To reduce the risk of developing this malignancy, the use of sunscreens is recommended; however, the synthetic compounds in sunscreens can cause side effects and harm the environment. To avoid damage to human health and the environment, the use of different plant secondary metabolites with photochemoprotective potential has been investigated in recent decades. For this reason, phenolic compounds are useful alternatives since many of them are capable of absorbing ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Moreover, some of these compounds have antiinflammatory, antioxidant, and even anticancer activities. This chapter explores the progress in the study of different phenolic compounds extracted from plants with potential for use in sunscreen formulations. 

Keywords: DNA photodamage, Erythema, Flavonoids, Inflammation, Lignins, Natural products, Oxidative damage, Oxidative stress, Phenylpropanoids, Phenolic acids, Photoaging, Photocarcinogenesis, Photochemoprotection, Photoprotection, Reactive oxygen species, Secondary metabolites, Skin cancer, Sunscreens, Tannins, Ultraviolet radiation.