Effect of Ascorbic Acid, Silicon and Iron on Collagen Synthesis in the Human Dermal Fibroblast Cell(HS27)

Collagen I and III are the major matrix proteins in dermis and consist of proline and lysine, which are hydroxylated by prolyl hydoxylase (PH) and lysyl hydroxylase with cofactors such as ascorbic acid, oxygen, iron (Fe2+), ketoglutarate and silicon. In this study, we investigated the effect of various nutrients, such as ascorbic acid, silicon and iron on mRNA and protein expressions of prolyl hydroxylase (PH). When the physiological concentrations of ascorbic acid (0–100μM), silicon (0–50μM) and iron (Fe2+: 0–50μM) were treated at human dermal fibroblast cells(HS27 cells) for 3 days, silicon and iron had no effect on the mRNA expression of PH. However the mRNA expression of PH was highly increased by 1700% with 5 μM ascorbic acid for 3 days, and furthermore, the protein expression of PH was increased by 160 % with 100 μM ascorbic acid for 3 days. In contrast with the effect on the mRNA expression, the protein expression of PH was increased by 230 % with 5–50 μM of iron for 3 days. Taken together, our data demonstrate that of several nutrients which function as cofactors in proline hydroxylation, iron is the most effective as the protein expression of PH was increased with all of physiological concentrations. Ascorbic acid is the second best as protein expression of PH was increased only with 100 μM. Silicon had no effect on mRNA and protein expressions of PH.