In Vitro Study of Type I and III Collagen Expression by Active AAG1-AAI on Artificial Skin With 2D Human Dermal Fibroblast Culture Using ELISA'

Abstract

Aging is an essential and inevitable part of the biological process. However, the effects of cellular function deterioration reflected on the body causes a need for the development of effective strategies to suppress aging progression; particularly for the skin which shows the most visible signs. As the main component of the skin, type I and III collagen production by fibroblast has been a prominent indicator of aging. As aging progresses, type I and III collagen production are also decreasing. To test the efficacy of anti-aging product containing active AAG1-AAI in stimulating type I and III collagen expression, determination of highest non-cytotoxic treatment concentration was done using the MTS cytotoxicity assay by treating primary dermal fibroblast cells with Product containing active AAG1-AAI; Base; Comparator containing active AAG3-AAD; as well as Combination of Product and Comparator at concentrations of 2%; 1%; 0.5%; 0.25%. It was observed that all treatment groups showed >70% cell viability to indicate non-cytotoxicity, and 0.5% concentration showed the highest cell viability. ELISA was done to analyze type I and III collagen production by administering similar treatment groups at 0.5% concentration through EpiDerm Skin Model to simulate penetration in human skin. ELISA results showed an increase in collagen production, with active AAG1-AAI reported to act through TGF- β mimicry and AAG3-AAD reported to reduce IL-6. Increased collagen expression in all treatment groups suggests sufficient penetration into the dermal layer to stimulate collagen production, potentially reflecting application on human skin.