Skin antiaging effects of a multiple mechanisms hyaluronan complex

OBJECTIVE: Intrinsic skin aging is an inevitable process with reduced extracellular matrix deposition and impaired mechanical integrity in the dermal‐epidermal junction (DEJ). Hyaluronan is one of the most promising natural ingredients. In this research, multiple mechanisms of a novel hyaluronan complex against intrinsic skin aging were revealed. METHOD: Immunohistochemical analysis and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay were employed to evaluate the effect of low‐molecular weight sodium hyaluronan, its acetylated derivative and HA complex on expression of matrix metalloproteinase‐1 (MMP‐1) and type I collagen in normal human fibroblasts. Then, immunohistochemical analysis and hematoxylin and eosin staining was carried out to evaluate identical effects of HA complex in reconstructed skin equivalents, as well as its benefits on histological structure and DEJ. RESULT: In normal human dermal fibroblasts, the hyaluronan complex, which contains low‐molecular weight sodium hyaluronate and its acetylated derivative, has synergistic effects by increasing type I collagen expression. At the same time, MMP‐1 production was inhibited. This was confirmed in subsequent experiments with skin equivalent, and intriguingly, the hyaluronan complex was also found to increase the expression of two DEJ proteins. CONCLUSION: The multimechanism hyaluronan complex in this proof‐of‐concept study exhibited skin antiaging effects in vitro through inhibiting the expression of MMP‐1 and enhancing type I collagen accumulation and the expression of DEJ proteins, which reveals new avenues for investigating more biological activities of various types of hyaluronan.