BEAUTY SECRET THAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT. "Actually makes the skin
younger!" Here are two of the clinical trials that prove it.




J Cosmet Sci 2002 Jan-Feb;53(1):1-9 Related Articles, Books, LinkOut


Treatment of human skin with an extract of Fucus vesiculosus changes
its thickness and mechanical properties.

Fujimura T, Tsukahara K, Moriwaki S, Kitahara T, Sano T, Takema Y.

Biological Science Laboratories, Kao Corporation, 2606 Akabane,
Ichikai-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi 321-3497, Japan.

Recently the researchers found that an extract of Fucus vesiculosus,
which is a type of seaweed, promotes the contraction of fibroblast-
populated collagen gels through increased expression of integrin
molecules. In this study, they investigated the effects of topical
application of an aqueous extract of this alga on the thickness and
the mechanical properties of human skin. A gel formulation that
included 1% of the extract was applied topically to human cheek skin
twice daily for five weeks. A significant decrease in skin thickness
measured by B-mode ultrasound was elicited, as was a significant
improvement in elasticity measured with a Cutometer as compared with
controls. In cheek skin, the thickness normally increases and the
elasticity usually decreases with age. These results suggest that the
Fucus vesiculosus extract possesses anti-aging activities and should
be useful for a variety of cosmetics.

Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Controlled Clinical Trial

PMID: 11917251 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]



1: Biol Pharm Bull 2000 Oct;23(10):1180-4 Related Articles, Books,
LinkOut


Fucoidan is the active component of fucus vesiculosus that promotes
contraction of fibroblast-populated collagen gels.

Fujimura T, Shibuya Y, Moriwaki S, Tsukahara K, Kitahara T, Sano T,
Nishizawa Y, Takema Y.

Biological Science Laboratories, Kao Corporation, Haga, Tochigi,
Japan. 301620@...

The fibroblast-populated collagen gel culture method has been
evaluated as a dermal model of wound contraction and granulation in
tissues during the wound healing process and as an in vitro model of
dermal tissue. We previously reported that an extract of Fucus
vesiculosus promoted fibroblast-populated collagen gel contraction
and that the promotion of the gel contraction was due to the
increased expression of integrin alpha2beta1 on the surface of the
fibroblasts. In this study, we investigated the active component of
the extract of this alga using extraction and fractionation
techniques. Water extraction of the alga was followed by
precipitation with excess ethanol and then gel filtration with the
boundary molecular weight of 30,000. The high molecular weight
fraction obtained from gel filtration was fractionated by ion
exchange chromatography on diethylaminoethyl cellulose column to give
active fractions that have more polar properties. These polar, high
molecular weight fractions which contained molecules with fucose and
sulfate groups showed significant gel contraction-promoting activity
and integrin expression-enhancing activity, and were estimated to be
the sulfated-polysaccharide fucoidan. Commercially available fucoidan
showed similar activities to the above-described fraction of this
alga. Although it remains necessary to precisely identify the
specific active component, the above results indicate that fucoidan
is the active component which promotes collagen gel contraction, and
also indicate the possibility that it dose so by enhancing the
integrin alpha2beta1 expression.

PMID: 11041247 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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