Oral Intake of Specific Bioactive Collagen Peptides Reduces Skin Wrinkles and Increases Dermal Matrix Synthesis

Abstract

Dietary consumption of food supplements has been found to modulate skin functions and can therefore be useful in the treatment of skin aging. However, there is only a limited number of clinical studies supporting these claims. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the effectiveness of the specific bioactive collagen peptide (BCP) VERISOL® on eye wrinkle formation and stimulation of procollagen I, elastin and fibrillin biosynthesis in the skin was assessed. A hundred and fourteen women aged 45-65 years were randomized to receive 2.5 g of BCP or placebo, once daily for 8 weeks, with 57 subjects being allocated to each treatment group. Skin wrinkles were objectively measured in all subjects, before starting the treatment, after 4 and 8 weeks as well as 4 weeks after the last intake (4-week regression phase). A subgroup was established for suction blister biopsies analyzing procollagen I, elastin and fibrillin at the beginning of the treatment and after 8 weeks of intake. The ingestion of the specific BCP used in this study promoted a statistically significant reduction of eye wrinkle volume (p < 0.05) in comparison to the placebo group after 4 and 8 weeks (20%) of intake. Moreover a positive long-lasting effect was observed 4 weeks after the last BCP administration (p < 0.05). Additionally, after 8 weeks of intake a statistically significantly higher content of procollagen type I (65%) and elastin (18%) in the BCP-treated volunteers compared to the placebo-treated patients was detected. For fibrillin, a 6% increase could be determined after BCP treatment compared to the placebo, but this effect failed to reach the level of statistical significance. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that the oral intake of specific bioactive collagen peptides (Verisol®) reduced skin wrinkles and had positive effects on dermal matrix synthesis.

Effect of orally administered collagen hydrolysate on gene expression profiles in mouse skin: a DNA microarray analysis

“…DNA microarray technology makes it possible to analyze comprehensively the expression of many genes and to find several novel markers associated with physiological functions. It is an effective approach to understand how food ingredients affect gene expression in target tissues (11,24).Although some studies described the effect of collagen hydrolysate administration on the skin (27,37,55), there is no description or comprehensive analysis of how long-term administration of collagen hydrolysate affects gene expression associated with skin barrier function and elasticity under conditions of intrinsic aging. The mechanism of improvement of aged skin function remains unclear.…”

“…Although some studies described the effect of collagen hydrolysate administration on the skin (27,37,55), there is no description or comprehensive analysis of how long-term administration of collagen hydrolysate affects gene expression associated with skin barrier function and elasticity under conditions of intrinsic aging. The mechanism of improvement of aged skin function remains unclear.…”

An Insight into the Changes in Skin Texture and Properties following Dietary Intervention with a Nutricosmeceutical Containing a Blend of Collagen Bioactive Peptides and Antioxidants

“…We hypothesize that this increase may be due to the dual action mechanism of collagen bioactive peptides in the dermis: (1) free amino acids provide support for the formation of collagen fibers [34] ; (2) bioactive peptides bind to fibroblasts membrane receptors and stimulate their proliferation [35] and the production of new collagen [33,36,37] , elastin [33] , and hyaluronic acid [29] .…”

“…The oral intake of collagen bioactive peptides instead, due to their low molecular weight, permits a systemic absorption and distribution of these peptides in the different tissues [27,28,32] . Collagen peptides activate fibroblasts, leading to the production of collagen [33] , elastin [33] and hyaluronic acid [29] .…”

The effect of different molecular weight collagen peptides on MC3T3-E1 cells differentiation

“…Collagen peptides have been reported to have numerous distinct bioactivities, including anti-oxidization, anti-aging, promoting the repair and growth of corneal epithelial cells, promoting the metabolism of skin collagen, immunomodulation, et al [7,8].The bioactivity of collagen is directly correlated to its molecular weight. Han and colleagues found that the Halibut skin collagen peptides (600-1,800Da) could inhibit angiotensin I-converting enzyme activity in a molecular weight-dependent manner; low molecular weight collagens are more potent inhibitors for angiotensin I-converting enzyme [9].…”