Cosmetic Potential of a Recombinant 50 kDa Protein

Abstract

Collagen and its derivative proteins have been widely used as a major component for cosmetic formulations as a natural ingredient and moisturizer. Most commercially available collagens are animal-derived collagen type I and other forms of collagen, such as type III collagen, are far less prevalent in animals, making extraction and purification extremely difficult and expensive. Here, we report the production of a 50 kDa protein produced in yeast that is 100% identical to the N-terminus of the human type III collagen. This recombinant protein has a larger molecular weight than most incumbent recombinant collagen proteins available for personal care applications. We report the industrialization of both the fermentation and purification processes to produce a final recombinant protein product. This final protein product was shown to be safe for general applications to human skin and compatible with common formulation protocols, including ethanol-based formulations. This recombinant collagen type III protein was also shown to uniquely stimulate both collagen type I and type III production and secretion by primary human dermal fibroblasts. The unique combination of biostimulation, compatibility with beauty product formulations and demonstrated commercial production, make this novel recombinant type III collagen a good candidate for broad application in the cosmetics industry.

Multistep Approach Points to Compounds Responsible for the Biological Activity and Safety of Hydrolates from Nine Lamiaceae Medicinal Plants on Human Skin Fibroblasts

“…Since ancient times, cosmetic products have been used for their health benefits and to enhance beauty or body odour [1]. There is growing interest in cosmetic products that are safe for human skin [2], especially ones of natural origin. Moreover, natural cosmetic products are a new global trend wherein consumer preferences focus on ecology and sustainability [3].…”

Precision Fermentation as an Alternative to Animal Protein, a Review

“…Its mechanical strength, biodegradability, and ability to form fibrils make it ideal for biomedical applications, including tissue engineering scaffolds and drug delivery systems [151,152]. In addition, in cosmetic formulations, collagen or derivative proteins have been employed as a natural ingredient, moisturizer and anti-aging agent [153,154].…”

“…Currently, collagens come mostly from animal sources, such as bovine hides and porcine and fish tissues. Increasing concerns about their biocompatibility, the potential to cause immunogenic reactions or transmit pathogenic vectors, and lack of product homogeneity have driven the development of new methods for collagen manufacture from non-animal sources [148][149][150][151][152][153][154][155]. Thus, the expression of recombinant collagens using different prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems is an alternative strategy to address these aforementioned issues, and there have been many publications regarding the production of recombinant collagen [156].…”

Injectable hydrogels of recombinant human collagen type III and chitosan with antibacterial and antioxidative activities for wound healing

“…These rhCol III exhibits similar properties and stability as natural human collagens, and offers several advantages including ease of obtainment, good water solubility, low immunogenicity, absence of hidden virus risks, and a stable production process. 22,23 It has drawn a lot of interest from the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries, [24][25][26][27][28] and has been investigated as bioactive materials in various tissue regeneration. [29][30][31][32][33] It is also reported that rhCol III was highly effective for wound healing.…”