The Oral Administration of Elastin Peptide Reduces Ultraviolet Light-Induced Photoaging in Hairless Mice

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation in sunlight is the main exogenous factor leading to skin aging. The prevention and repair of UV induced skin aging has become a significant research focus over recent years. To investigate the protective effects of the oral administration of elastin peptide on photoaged skin, BALB/C Nude mice were exposed to UVA+UVB for 16 weeks to establish the photoaging model. The concentrations of elastin peptide given to the low, medium, and high dose groups were 1.5, 5.0 and 10 mg/animal per day, respectively. Then, skin elasticity was measured using a cutimeter dual MPA 580. The concentraions of three type of collagens, hyaluronic acid and hydroxyproline in skin tissue were also determined. The results indicated that the oral administration of elastin peptide greatly improved the skin elasticity, accompanying with significantly upregulated expression of hyaluronic acid and hydroxyproline. In addition, the contents of collagen in animal skin were also significantly increased, especially Type III and IV collagen. However, the effects induced by elastin peptide did not show a dose response relationship. In conclusion, the results implied that elastin peptide can significantly promote the recovery of collagen in photoaging skin to normal levels, and repair skin aging induced by UVA + UVB treatment.