Oral Supplementation with Hydrolyzed Fish Cartilage Improves the Morphological and Structural Characteristics of the Skin: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Study

Abstract

Collagen and its peptides are natural ingredients used in food supplements and nutricosmetics with the claim of providing benefits for skin health and beauty. In this context, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of oral supplementation with hydrolyzed fish cartilage for the improvement of chronological and photoaging-induced skin changes. A total of 46 healthy females aged 45 to 59 years were enrolled and divided into two groups: G1—placebo and G2—oral treatment with hydrolyzed fish cartilage. Measurements of skin wrinkles, dermis echogenicity and thickness, and morphological and structural characteristics of the skin were performed in the nasolabial region of the face before and after a 90-day period of treatment using high-resolution imaging, ultrasound, and reflectance confocal microscopy image analyses. A significant reduction in wrinkles and an increase of dermis echogenicity were observed after a 90-day period of treatment with hydrolyzed fish cartilage compared to the placebo and baseline values. In addition, reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) image analysis showed improved collagen morphology and reduced elastosis after treatment with hydrolyzed fish cartilage. The present study showed the clinical benefits for the skin obtained with oral supplementation with a low dose of collagen peptides from hydrolyzed fish cartilage.

Benefits of Circulating Human Metabolites from Fish Cartilage Hydrolysate on Primary Human Dermal Fibroblasts, an Ex Vivo Clinical Investigation for Skin Health Applications

“…Regarding the absorption of FCH, the literature lacks relevant kinetics data; thus, this study also aimed at evidencing and characterizing the bioavailability of FCH in humans in order to both reinforce the clinical value of our previous results on skin health in middle-aged women [ 29 ] and to move forward on the mechanism of action at the cellular level.…”

“…It was recently shown that the supplementation of middle-aged healthy women with this FCH led to both a significant reduction in wrinkles and an increase in dermis density [ 29 ]. In this clinical ex vivo approach, considering the physiological processes of nutrients along the digestive track, we demonstrated that this FCH was absorbed and that the circulating metabolites produced in humans following FCH intake stimulate human dermal fibroblast growth, promote specific hyaluronan production, up-regulate elastin synthesis and inhibit MMP-1 and 3 expressions along with the enhancement of TGF-β release.…”

“…At the dose of 2.5 g/day, collagen intake increased the density of the dermis after 6 months of treatment in overweight or normally weighted women [ 28 ]. Recently, it was demonstrated that supplementation with this FCH reduced wrinkles in healthy women and increased dermis density and thickness [ 29 ]. Interestingly, most of the published clinical trials investigating the benefit of an oral collagen supplementation on skin health have been carried out in the last 10 years, supporting a major and timely interest related to the field.…”

Industrial application of fish cartilaginous tissues

“…Apart from this, the alcalase-hydrolyzed cartilage of shark ( P. glauca ) exerts anti-hyperuricemic activity after oral administration to rats ( Murota et al, 2014 ). In addition, a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study reported oral supplementation with hydrolyzed fish cartilage improves the morphological and structural characteristics of the skin ( Maia Campos et al, 2021 ). These results suggest that fish cartilage hydrolysates or peptides have potential as functional foods or in other fields.…”

Oral collagen supplements intake on improving skin structure and function

“…In the clinical evaluation, the participants also experienced a reduction in wrinkles, improvement in skin texture, firmness and appearance as well as a moisturising effect. Skin relief was evaluated using the Visioscan, 20 MHz ultrasound, microscope and high-resolution digital camera [10]. A randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial was conducted in 99 healthy Japanese women receiving 1 or 5 g of collagen peptides or placebo once daily for 12 weeks.…”