SKIN CARE
Extracellular matrix and its role in skin health
David Poon, Mario Chin, Carrie Chan – Avant Proteins
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Skin ageing manifests as lines and wrinkles, reduced elasticity, age spots, and loss of tone.1 Intrinsic ageing, driven by genetics, involves natural changes like cellular senescence, decreased collagen and elastin production, increased breakdown of these proteins, and altered extracellular matrix (ECM) protein composition.1-4 However, extrinsic factors such as physical
trauma, inflammations, UV radiation, oxidative damage, air pollutants and toxic chemicals exacerbate undesirable ECM changes and premature skin ageing. Given the complexity of skin ageing and
the interplay of ECM, signaling proteins and growth factors, skin care products should ideally contain a variety of active ingredients to address every ECM component of aged skin. Zellulin® BioPlatform is the pioneering patented technology that achieves exactly that. This platform produces a new cell-identical biopeptide complex called ZelluGen that is proven to promote healthy ECM metabolism. Our skin is composed of three main
layers.5-6 The outermost layer, the epidermis,
serves as a protective barrier and is primarily made up of keratinocytes. Beneath it lies the dermis, which contains a complex network of ECM that supports nearby cells and tissues.
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The ECM is mainly composed of collagen, proteoglycans, glycoproteins, elastic fibres, signaling proteins and growth factors. The innermost layer, the hypodermis, consists mostly of adipose tissue and blood vessels, providing heat insulation, shock absorption, and fat storage. The ECM of the skin is constantly
remodeling to adapt to changing environments through bidirectional communication with neighbouring cells.6-8
For instance, when the
skin is injured, immune cells release cytokines that regulate ECM synthesis and degradation. Additionally, ECM components like
collagen, fibronectin, and laminin bind to cell surface receptors, influencing cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration during tissue repair. Dysregulated ECM changes contribute to skin ageing3
, and chronic wounds.8
Therefore, it is important to develop skin care products that effectively target the skin‘s ECM.
The role of collagen in skin structure and strength Collagen is the primary structural protein in the
ECM, providing the skin with tensile strength.6, 9
It is predominantly produced by fibroblasts, with keratinocytes contributing to a lesser extent.
The collagen amino acid sequence features
multiple glycine-proline-X and glycine-X- hydroxyproline repeats, where X represents any amino acid. This sequence allows three collagen polypeptide chains to form a procollagen triple helix, which has a diameter of 1.5 nm. For fibrillary collagens (types I, II, III, V, XI),
procollagen molecules self-assemble and are covalently crosslinked into collagen fibrils, which range from 10 to 500 nm in diameter.10
These
fibrils bundle together to form larger collagen fibres, exceeding 0.5 mm in diameter. Collagen I, the most common fibrillary collagen in the dermis, primarily provides structural support. Non-fibrillary collagens, on the other hand,
do not form fibrils independently. Instead, they interact with other matrix proteins to create network-like (type IV), beaded (type VI), or anchoring fibril structures (type VII). For instance, collagen VII anchors the
epidermal basement membrane to the papillary dermis. Other unique types of collagens, such as FACIT (fibril-associated collagens with interrupted triple helices) and MACIT (membrane-associated collagens with interrupted triple helices), have been discussed in other reviews.11-12
May 2025 PERSONAL CARE
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