Collagen Hydrolysates for Skin Protection: Oral Administration and Topical Formulation

Abstract

Antioxidants are molecules that delay or inhibit the oxidation of other molecules. Its use significantly increased in recent years in the diet of people. Natural antioxidants are replacing the use of synthetic antioxidant ingredients due to their safety, nutritional, and therapeutic values. Hydrolyzed collagen (HC) is a popular ingredient considered to be an antioxidant. This low molecular weight protein has been widely utilized due to its excellent biocompatibility, easy biodegradability, and weak antigenicity. It is a safe cosmetic biomaterial with good moisturizing properties on the skin. The antioxidant properties of HC are conditioned to the size of the molecule: the lower the molecular weight of peptides, the greater the ability to donate an electron or hydrogen to stabilize radicals. The antioxidant capacity of HC is mostly due to the presence of hydrophobic amino acids in the peptide. The exact mechanism of peptides acting as antioxidants is not clearly known but some aromatic amino acids and histidine are reported to play an important role in the antioxidant activity. Oral ingestion of HC increases the levels of collagen-derived peptides in the blood torrent and improves the skin properties such as elasticity, skin moisture, and transepidermal water loss. Additionally, daily intakes of HC protect the skin against UV melasma, enhances the fibroblast production and extracellular matrix of the skin. HC has been identified as a safe cosmetic ingredient for topical formulations with good moisturizing properties at the stratum corneum layer of the skin. It reduces the effects of skin aging (dryness, laxity, and wrinkles). The use of HC as a principal ingredient in safe formulations for skin protection was reviewed and compared when it is used by topical and/or oral administration.

Characterization of Whey-Based Fermented Beverages Supplemented with Hydrolyzed Collagen: Antioxidant Activity and Bioavailability

“…HC is a group of peptides with low molecular weight, around 6 KDa, that can be extracted from different sources (e.g., bovine, porcine, fish, ovine) and through different methods (alkaline methods using NaOH or NaHCO 3 , and acidic methods using acetic acid) [ 16 ]. Due to its low molecular weight, HC presents high biocompatibility, very easy degradation, and weak or no allergenicity [ 17 ]. In addition, HC is used as a functional ingredient within the food industry because of its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.…”

Collagen Based Materials in Cosmetic Applications: A Review

“…The moisturizing properties of hydrolyzed collagen in deeper levels of the skin are very high and may give a very good effect on the looks of the skin [ 72 , 73 , 74 ]. In its hydrolyzed form, collagen is a widely known cosmetic component with antioxidant properties [ 72 ]. These proteins have a huge spectrum of application because of the eminent compatibility to human cells and simple biodegradability.…”

Evaluation Biological Activities of Diphylleia grayi Extract as a Natural Cosmetic Ingredient

“…Collagen is a fibrous protein of conjunctive and connective tissues in the human body. Besides maintaining the skin structure, collagen establishes elasticity and keeps moisture in the skin (Aguirre-Cruz et al, 2020;Kim et al, 2020).…”