UV Protection and Whitening Effects of Collagen Isolated from Outer Layer of the Squid Todarodes pacificus

To develop a whitening agent, cytotoxicity of the soluble collagen isolated from Todarodes pacificus (CIT) was evaluated. CIT tested for cytotoxicity on human dermal fibroblast (CCD-986sk) was exhibited very low cytotoxicity. Because tyrosinase is the key enzyme for melanin biosynthesis, the use of various tyrosinase inhibitors is a common practice for whitening purpose in cosmetics. Tyrosinase inhibitory activity and melanin production assay were measured to confirm the whitening effect. The inhibitory effect of MMP-1 in UV-irradiated human dermal fibroblast was also performed. CIT showed strong inhibition potency on tyrosinase by 51.5% at 0.2 mg/mL which increased the inhibition by increasing the concentration of CIT, and showed 69.1% inhibition at 1.0 mg/mL. CIT showed strong inhibition effect on melanin production with 82% at 1.0 mg/mL. The CIT also reduced about 76% expression of MMP-1 in UV-irradiated CCD-986sk cell at 1.0 mg/mL. From the preliminary observations, we suggest that the collagen isolated from CIT could be a potential source of natural skin-whitening and anti-aging agents for the photo-damaged skin.