This study was conducted to examine the effect of egg shell membrane hydrolysates (ESMH) on wrinkle, UV, and moisture protection for cosmetic use. ESMH were fragmented as whole ESMH (before fractioning), Fraction I (> 10 kDa), Fraction II (3-10 kDa), and Fraction III (< 3 kDa). In order to test whether fractionated ESMH can be used for functional cosmetic materials, we examined not only the level of hyaluronic acid and collagen production, but also the MMP-1 activity using a HaCaT and CCD-986Sk cell line. Our study treated each sample of fractionated ESMH with different concentrations (0.01, 0.1, 1 mg/mL). In our in vivo research, we used hairless mice that had been exposed to UV-B to induce wrinkles for 7 wk, then applied Fraction I to the treatment group for 5 wk and then tested skin thickness, minimum erythema dose and moisture content. In addition, Fraction I was high in collagen and HA biosynthesis and it was better than TGF-β in improving of the skin. When TNF-α caused MMP-1 activity in the CCD-986Sk cells, the whole ESMH and Fraction I proved to be effective in hindering the induction of collagenase depending on the concentration, and also showed outstanding effects in the suppression of skin aging. We found that the treatment group mice’s UV-B radiation-induced skin damage was largely mitigated compared to that of the non-treatment group mice. Thus, we have concluded that EMSH helps to mitigate UV-B radiation-induced wrinkles, collagen, HA, MMP-1 activity and can be used for functional cosmetic materials.

This study was conducted to examine the effects of egg shell membrane hydrolysates (ESMH) on skin whitening, wound healing, and UV-protection. ESMH was divided into three groups by molecular weight (Fraction I: above 10 kDa of ESMH, Fraction II: 3 kDa-10 kDa of ESMH, Fraction III: below 3 kDa of ESMH). As a result, all of ESMHs showed over 90% of protein contents. The wound healing experiment using HaCaT cells showed that the fraction I was slightly superior to other fractions depending on the concentration though it was not significantly different. In the experiments of inhibition of tyrosinase and L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) oxidation to verify the L-DOPA whitening effect, the whole ESMH (before fractioning) showed a similar amount of inhibition effect with arbutin (control). In the inhibition of melanin formation in B16-F1 melanoma cells, the fraction I showed a high inhibitory effect. In the experiment for protecting the skin from ultraviolet rays using HaCaT cells, all the fractions showed a higher rate of cell viability than the control. In conclusion, this study confirmed that the cosmetic effects of ESMHs such as skin whitening, wound healing, and UV-protection, which were divided depending on the molecule weight. We could confirm that the possibility of ESMHs as a material for functional cosmetics.