Effect of a Topical Collagen Tripeptide on Antiaging and Inhibition of Glycation of the Skin: A Pilot Study

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 23; no. 3; p. 1101
• Main Authors: Lee, Young In, Lee, Sang Gyu, Jung, Inhee, Suk, Jangmi, Lee, Mun-Hoe, Kim, Do-Un, Lee, Ju Hee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 20.01.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Accumulation; Adult; advanced glycated end products; Aging; antiaging; Case-Control Studies; Cellular Senescence - drug effects; Collagen; Collagen - pharmacology; DNA damage; Elasticity; Female; Fibroblasts - drug effects; Fibroblasts - metabolism; glycation; Glycation End Products, Advanced - antagonists & inhibitors; Glycosylation; Heparan sulfate; Humans; hydrolyzed collagen; Inflammation; Investigations; Matrix metalloproteinase; Matrix metalloproteinases; Middle Aged; Oxidative Stress; Peptide Fragments - pharmacology; Phenotypes; Pilot Projects; Prospective Studies; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Skin; Skin - drug effects; Skin - metabolism; Skin Aging - drug effects; Skin Aging - pathology; tripeptide; Ultraviolet radiation; United States > US; advanced glycated end products; glycation; antiaging; tripeptide; hydrolyzed collagen
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031101

The glycation process has been recognized as one of the critical parameters that accelerate signs of skin aging, especially in skin exposed to environment factors, such as ultraviolet radiation. Although previous studies showed the anti-inflammatory and antiaging properties of the hydrolyzed collagen tripeptide (CTP), its exact mechanism is not fully understood. Therefore, in this study, we sought to investigate the effect of a topical CTP on facial skin. Our group designed a 4 week prospective, single-arm study of 22 Asian women who applied topical CTP. We observed significant improvements in skin wrinkles, elasticity, and density with a reduction in skin accumulation of advanced glycated end products (AGEs) at week 4 without any adverse effects. The in vitro study revealed a preventive effect of the topical CTP on the accumulation of AGEs, denatured collagen production, and reactive oxygen species in dermal fibroblasts. Moreover, treatment with the CTP decreased induction of matrix metalloproteinases while increasing the collagen 1 level. These results suggest that the application of a topical CTP might improve clinical aging phenotypes via the inhibition of glycation and oxidative stress, leading to a delay in cellular aging.