PAULINE ROUAUD-TINGUELY*, DAVID BOUDIER, MATHILDE ROUY, MARIE QUILLET, SYLVIE BORDES, BRIGITTE CLOSS
*Corresponding author
SILAB, BP 213, 19108 Brive Cedex, France

Abstract

In the context of an overall anti-glycation concept, SILAB has developed novel study models to study glycation in vitro and in vivo. These models are based from fibroblasts cultivated in vitro in a lattice of glycated collagen up to volunteer panellists, with high levels of cutaneous advanced glycation end products (AGEs). The study of fibroblasts glycated in vitro showed a disorganisation of the major proteins of the dermis, whether intra- or extracellular. In addition, a novel method for the semi-quantitative measurement of the state of dermal fibres in vivo revealed the deterioration of the dermal matrix in volunteers with glycated skin. These new models allowed SILAB to measure the effects of its new natural and eco-designed cosmetic active ingredient proposed to the global cosmetic market. This new cosmetic ingredient is rich in sulphated galactans, obtained from the alga Hypnea musciformis, and capable of combating the harmful effects of glycation.

INTRODUCTION

Glycation is an ubiquitous phenomenon in which sugars bind to proteins, leading to the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) (1). Glycated proteins are rigid and accumulate in cells, interfering with normal cell functions and adversely affecting tissue physiology (Figure 1) (2).
This major phenomenon has been extensively studied in the field of cosmetics because of these harmful effects on the skin (tissue rigidity, appearance of wrinkles, loss of elasticity, slack skin, pigment disorders, retarded skin healing) (3, 4). This major mechanism is therefore directly and indirectly responsible for a large number of signs of skin ageing. The primary target of glycation is the dermis, explaining why elastin and collagen fibres are severely affected. At the intracellular level, vimentin, a keystone of fibroblast metabolism, is also a major target of glycation (5-7). This intermediate filament that is part of the cytoskeleton of fibroblasts, is a dynamic structure required for the functions of proliferation, migration and contraction (8).
Vimentin has therefore become an obligatory marker in studies of the effects of glycation on ...