Dietary phenolic compounds as modulators of AGEs-induced photo-oxidation: A focus on the skin and eye lens

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are irreversible products formed when long-lived proteins undergo non-enzymatic reactions with reducing sugars or reactive metabolites. These products resist proteolytic degradation and therefore accumulate with age. Some AGEs act as chromophores, absorbing UVA-visible light and initiating photosensitized oxidation, a process implicated in photoaging of tissues such as the eye lens and skin. Dietary polyphenols, known for their antioxidant and antiglycation effects, may also modulate AGE-mediated photosensitized reactions, although this remains poorly understood. This article discusses the mechanisms through which AGEs contribute to photo-oxidative damage in light-exposed tissues and discusses the potential of dietary polyphenols to modulate these photo-induced processes. • Advanced glycation end products have been related to eye lens and skin photoaging. • Molecular mechanisms of AGEs-induced photosensitized reactions are discussed. • Polyphenols may inhibit AGE-mediated photosensitized reactions. • The role of dietary polyphenols in eye lens and skin photoprotection is analyzed.