Potential of atlantic codfish (Gadus morhua) skin collagen for skincare biomaterials

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2023-04, Vol.28 (8), p.1-20
• Main Authors: Rodrigues, Cristina V., Sousa, Rita Alexandra Oliveira, Carvalho, Ana Cristina Pontes, Alves, Ana Luísa Silva, Marques, Ana Catarina Fernandes, Cerqueira, Mariana Teixeira, Reis, R. L., Silva, Tiago H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetic acid; Animals; Atlantic codfish; Biocompatibility; Biocompatible Materials - analysis; Biocompatible Materials - pharmacology; Biodegradability; Biodegradation; Biological products; Biomaterials; Biomedical materials; By products; Cattle; Cod; Collagen; Collagen (type I); Collagen - chemistry; Contact angle; Cosmeceuticals; Cytotoxicity; Drug delivery systems; Extracellular matrix; Fish; Food industry; Gadiformes - metabolism; Gadus morhua - metabolism; Keratinocytes; Marine biomaterials; Marine organisms; Membranes; Molecular weight; Proteins; Reproducibility of Results; Science & Technology; Skin; Skin - metabolism; Skin care products; Skincare; Thermal stability; Tissue engineering; Toiletries industry; Water absorption; Wound healing
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules28083394

Collagen is the major structural protein in extracellular matrix present in connective tissues, including skin, being considered a promising material for skin regeneration. Marine organisms have been attracting interest amongst the industry as an alternative collagen source. In the present work, Atlantic codfish skin collagen was analyzed, to evaluate its potential for skincare. The collagen was extracted from two different skin batches (food industry by-product) using acetic acid (ASColl), confirming the method reproducibility since no significant yield differences were observed. The extracts characterization confirmed a profile compatible with type I collagen, without significant differences between batches or with bovine skin collagen (a reference material in biomedicine). Thermal analyses suggested ASColl’s native structure loss at 25 °C, and an inferior thermal stability to bovine skin collagen. No cytotoxicity was found for ASColl up to 10 mg/mL in keratinocytes (HaCaT cells). ASColl was used to develop membranes, which revealed smooth surfaces without significative morphological or biodegradability differences between batches. Their water absorption capacity and water contact angle indicated a hydrophilic feature. The metabolic activity and proliferation of HaCaT were improved by the membranes. Hence, ASColl membranes exhibited attractive characteristics to be applied in the biomedical and cosmeceutical field envisaging skincare. This work was supported by funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the scope of NORTE 2020, part of the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the project ATLANTIDA (Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000040) and the R&D Infrastructure TERM RES-Hub PINFRA/22190/2016 (Norte-01-0145-FEDER-022190), also funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). Financial support from FCT is also acknowledged for the investigator contract of C.F.M. (CEECIND/04687/2017), the PhD scholarship of A.L.A. (PD/BD/127995/2016) under Doctoral Programme Do*Mar and the PhD scholarship of R.O.S. (PD/BD/150519/2019) under Doctoral Programme in Advanced Therapies for Health, PATH.