Theragra chalcogramma Hydrolysate, Rich in Gly-Leu-Pro-Ser-Tyr-Thr, Alleviates Photoaging via Modulating Deposition of Collagen Fibers and Restoration of Extracellular Components Matrix in SD Rats

• Published in: Marine Drugs
• Main Authors: Defeng Xu, Caihong Li, Mouming Zhao
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2022
• Subjects: photoaging; TCH; ECM metabolism; MMP-1; pathological restoration; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; Theragra chalcogramma
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/md20040252; https://doaj.org/article/7dd951f00e154dde945c112e5a71a9a1

Excessive exposure of the skin to ultraviolet irradiation induces skin photoaging, which seriously deteriorates the barrier functions of skin tissue, and even causes skin damages and diseases. Recently, dietary supplements from marine sources have been found to be useful in modulating skin functions and can be used to alleviate photoaging. Herein, the low-molecular-weight hydrolysates with a photoaging-protection effect were prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis from Theragra chalcogramma (TCH), and the potential mechanism were subsequently explored. The results revealed that TCH desirably improved the barrier functions of photoaged skin and stimulated the deposition of ECM components Col I, Hyp, and HA in the dermal layer. Histologically, TCH reduced the epidermal hyperplasia and restored the impaired architectures in a dose-dependent manner. Meanwhile, the activity of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) in photoaging skin was inhibited, and the expression levels of elastin and fibrillin-1 were elevated accordingly after TCH administration, and the significant improvements were observed at high-dose level ( p < 0.05). Taken together, the efficacy of TCH against skin photoaging is highly associated with the regulation on ECM metabolism and the repairing of damaged mechanical structure.