Effect of MMP/TIMP Balancing of Cynoglossus semilaevis Shell Extracts on Skin Protection

Abstract

Cynoglossus semilaevis shell is a by-product of the Cynoglossus semilaevis, a species of fish mainly distributed along the west coast of Korea. As its skin is very tough and difficult to process, it is not useful as food. For this reason, most of it is discarded except for a small amount that is used as feed, which results in environmental pollution. Considering this, there is a need for research on the development of functional materials using Cynoglossus semilaevis shell. This study focused on the mechanism of in vitro expression function of Cynoglossus semilaevis shell extract (CSE) for skin tissue in human dermal fibroblasts that induced or did not induce wrinkles by UV-B irradiation and aims to use it as a functional material for human skin beauty or wrinkle improvement through extraction and purification. According to the ELISA results using human dermal fibroblast cells, CSE reduced MMP-1 and elastase activity by up to 21.89% and 12.04%, respectively, in a concentration-dependent manner, and increased PIP synthesis by up to 62.24% in a concentration-dependent manner. The RT-PCR test results using mRNA showed the MMP-1, 2, and 3 expression levels were suppressed in the CSE-treated group compared to the UVB-induced group and caused a concentration-dependent increase in TIMP-1 in the CSE-treat group. These results suggest that CSE can maintain and improve skin tissue conditions through MMP/TIMP balancing in human dermal fibroblast cell lines and indicate its potential as a functional material for improving skin diseases and suppressing photo-aging.