Author(s)

Akihiro Aioi^1,2*, Ryuta Muromoto², Sho Mogami¹, Megumi Nishikawa¹, Shigeyuki Ogawa¹, Tadashi Matsuda²

¹New Business Development Division, Septem-Soken, Osaka, Japan.
²Department of Immunology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.

Background: Placenta extract is used as an alternative medicine especially in Asian countries as it is a rich reservoir of diverse bioactive molecules. The effects of placenta extract on skin conditions have been previously reported, however, the mechanism underlying for reduced wrinkle formation remains unclear. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether the continuous application of porcine placenta extract (PPE) alleviates wrinkle formation in humans and explore the underlying mechanism. Methods: Wrinkle formation, skin hydration, and skin elasticity were measured in 15 volunteers at weeks 0 and 6 after continuous application of a gel containing PPE. The production of type I collagen and hyaluronic acid from fibroblasts and keratinocytes, respectively, were measured using ELISA. Expression levels of ceramide synthase 3 (CERS3), filaggrin (FLG), transglutaminase 1 (TGM1), and kallikrein-7 (KLK7) were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR. Results: The wrinkle index was significantly reduced to 72.1% after a 6-week of applying the PPE gel, along with a significant increase in skin hydration to 126.5%. Type I collagen production from fibroblasts was enhanced slightly but significantly following treatment with PPE. PPE accelerated the expression of CERS3 (1.85-fold), FLG (1.35-fold), TGM1 (1.76-fold), and KLK7 (1.62-fold). Conclusion: Treatment with PPE alleviates wrinkle formation and simultaneously enhances skin hydration, which is induced via the accelerated expression of moisturizing-related proteins. These findings suggest that PPE is effective for combating dryness-induced wrinkle formation.

Porcine Placenta, Wrinkle Formation, Moisturizing-Related Proteins, Keratinocyte Differentiation

Aioi, A. , Muromoto, R. , Mogami, S. , Nishikawa, M. , Ogawa, S. and Matsuda, T. (2021) Porcine Placenta Extract Reduced Wrinkle Formation by Potentiating Epidermal Hydration. Journal of Cosmetics, Dermatological Sciences and Applications, 11, 101-109. doi: 10.4236/jcdsa.2021.112011.