New research suggests tiny molecules made inside the bloodstream may help slow some of the biological processes behind skin aging.
When it comes to healthy aging, many of us turn to fancy serums and other skin care products to achieve a youthful glow. But, what if the answer to youthful-looking skin is already within us? Surprising new research suggests that your bloodstream might already be producing powerful anti-aging ingredients in the form of tiny compounds produced naturally in the blood that show surprising anti-aging effects in lab-grown skin cells.
In a 2025 study published in the Journal of Natural Products by the American Chemical Society and the American Society of Pharmacognosy, scientists investigated metabolites—small molecule by-products produced by microbes—made by a bacterium living in the bloodstream called Paracoccus sanguinis. The 2025 study built upon earlier research done in 2015 that discovered P. sanguinis and that it was capable of producing these types of compounds. Scientists aimed to further understand the bacterium and its indole-functionalized metabolites, a specialized group of compounds that have been shown to have anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects.
The researchers cultured P. sanguinis in the lab and closely examined the chemical compounds it released. In so doing, they identified 12 different indole-based metabolites—six of which had never been described before. The team then tested several of these newly identified compounds on human skin cells exposed to “conditions that increased reactive oxygen species (ROS).”
Reactive oxygen species are known to cause oxidative stress, fueling inflammation and accelerating skin aging. The Cleveland Clinic explains that oxidative stress occurs when there are too many free radical molecules and not enough antioxidant molecules in your body—meaning the free radicals, a type of unstable molecule that can cause cell damage, can then hurt your body’s cells and tissue. Beyond damaging skin cells, oxidative stress has been linked to a wide array of chronic and degenerative diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, neurological diseases, respiratory diseases, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Three of the metabolites stood out for their ability to significantly reduce oxidative stress and lower levels of inflammatory proteins linked to the aging process.
The compounds also appeared to help protect collagen, the structural protein responsible for keeping skin firm and resilient. By decreasing the activity of proteins that break collagen down, the metabolites showed early potential to slow one of the key biological processes behind wrinkles and skin thinning.
“We became interested in P. sanguinis because blood-derived microbes are a relatively uncharted area of research,” says Chung Sub Kim, an author of the study, in a press release, via Science Daily. “Given the unique environment of the bloodstream, we believed that studying individual species like P. sanguinis could reveal previously unknown metabolic function relevant to health and disease.”
The researchers caution that their results are early and based on cell culture models, not human trials. Still, the findings fuel exciting possibilities: future treatments might leverage these naturally occurring compounds to support healthier, more resilient skin.
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