Author/Authors :
Ito، نويسنده , , Ikuko and Osaki، نويسنده , , Tomohiro and Ifuku، نويسنده , , Shinsuke and Saimoto، نويسنده , , Hiroyuki and Takamori، نويسنده , , Yoshimori and Kurozumi، نويسنده , , Seiji and Imagawa، نويسنده , , Tomohiro and Azuma، نويسنده , , Kazuo and Tsuka، نويسنده , , Takeshi and Okamoto، نويسنده , , Yoshiharu and Minami، نويسنده , , Saburo، نويسنده ,
Abstract :
Chitins are highly crystalline structures that are predominantly found in crustacean shells. Alpha-chitin is composed of microfibers, which are made up of nanofibrils that are 2–5 nm in diameter and 30 nm in length and embedded in a protein matrix. Crystalline nanofibrils can also be prepared by acid treatment. We verified the effect of chitin nanofibrils (NF) and nanocrystals (NC) on skin using a three-dimensional skin culture model and Franz cells. The application of NF and NC to skin improved the epithelial granular layer and increased granular density. Furthermore, NF and NC application to the skin resulted in a lower production of TGF-β compared to that of the control group. NF and NC might have protective effects to skin. Therefore, their potential use as components of skin-protective formulations merits consideration.
Keywords :
Skin-protective agents , Chitin nanofibrils , Three-dimensional skin culture model , Franz cells , skin