Study summary · research use only
Protective and Anti-Aging Effects of 5 Cosmeceutical Peptide Mixtures on Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Premature Senescence in Human Skin Fibroblasts
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This laboratory study (species not specified) tested five cosmeceutical peptides, individually and in combination, in human skin fibroblasts exposed to hydrogen peroxide-induced premature senescence. Individual optimal concentrations identified were 200 μg/mL carnosine for superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, 200 μg/mL GHK peptide for hydroxyproline (HYP) content, 100 μg/mL acetyl tetrapeptide-5 for angiotensin-converting enzyme 1 activity, 400 μg/mL hexapeptide-11 for HYP content, and 400 μg/mL acetyl hexapeptide-3 for catecholamine content. Based on these concentrations, six peptide mixture formulations were tested. One mixture (carnosine, acetyl tetrapeptide-5, hexapeptide-11, and acetyl hexapeptide-3) was associated with reduced intracellular malondialdehyde and hydroxyl free radical content and increased HYP and human elastin content, along with increased SOD and glutathione peroxidase activity, compared with hydrogen peroxide exposure alone.
Abstract
Skin aging usually leads to the excessive deterioration of the dermal extracellular matrix, loss of antimicrobial function, loss of skin barrier function, and a series of inflammatory processes. Bioactive peptides have been widely used in cosmetics due to their protective effects on skin and efficient absorption. Combination of different peptides may lead to synergistic or antagonistic effects, so different formulas need to be designed and tested properly. In this study, 5 functional cosmeceutical peptides were tested on their individual and mixed activities to detect a suitable anti-aging and protective formula from our experiments. After the individual activity test, the optimal concentration is 200 μg/mL of carnosine for the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, 200 μg/mL of GHK peptide for the hydroxyproline (HYP) content activity, 100 μg/mL of acetyl tetrapeptide-5 for the angiotensin-converting enzyme 1 activity, 400 μg/mL of hexapeptide-11 for the HYP content activity, and 400 μg/mL of acetyl hexapeptide-3 for the catecholamine content activity. According to the optimal concentration of these 5 cosmeceutical peptides, 6 formulations of peptide mixtures were designed and tested for their anti-aging activities and protective effects against hydrogen peroxide-induced premature senescence in human skin fibroblasts. One of the cosmeceutical peptide mixtures (carnosine + acetyl tetrapeptide-5 + hexapeptide-11 + acetyl hexapeptide-3) significantly reduced the intracellular malondialdehyde and hydroxyl free radical contents and increased the HYP and human elastin contents as well as the enzymatic activities of SOD and glutathione peroxidase. Our study suggests that this formula of cosmeceutical peptide mixtures could be a promising agent for use in anti-aging and protective cosmetics.
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