Biotechnological marine ingredients for youthful look

Ranging from the near-shore regions to the barren ocean floor, they are home to multiple species and organisms that rely on them for food and protection, including tiny planktonic organisms of the marine food net base (like phytoplankton and zooplankton), fish species, invertebrates (sponges, crustaceans, molluscs) and large marine mammals. However, such organisms need to adapt to the sea’s special conditions to survive, dealing with a high pH (around 8), seawater salinity (35 ppt on average, generally 85% of sodium and chlorine), currents, waves, tides and drastic gradients of limiting factors like light, temperature and oxygen, among other harsh factors. Additionally, there are certain aquatic areas where conditions are even more adverse, as they occur in bays, estuaries, intertidal shores and Antarctica. In estuaries and bays, life is even harder due to the combination of both the harsh conditions from the ocean as previously mentioned and the completely different features from fresh water coming from rain or rivers, which include lower salinity and more homogeneous levels of limiting factors. Intertidal rocky shores are another clear case of adverse habitats due to their constant exposure to wave action and drastic changes in temperature, UV radiation, nutrients availability and hydration depending on tides, as they cause either flooding (high tide) or desiccation (low tide).1 Antarctica is an extreme example of survival being dramatically difficult as there are prolonged periods of darkness, superficial freezing and defrosting twice a year, drastic sub-zero temperatures (lower than –40°C) and nutrient scarcity. Unexpectedly, a noticeable diversity succeeds in surviving in such environments, extremophiles for example, so the capacity to develop specific mechanisms to adapt to the local conditions is thought to be a key resource to raise survival.2,3 Pseudoalteromonas strains are one of the most abundant bacteria genera surviving in such extreme conditions mainly due to their ability to synthesise and secrete active extracellular polymeric substances (ECPSs) to increase their own survival and help the colony, like glycoproteins (GPs) and exopolysaccharides (EPSs).4,5 GPs consist of polypeptides covalently bonded to oligosaccharide chains (glycans), where the carbohydrate can represent between 1% and 80% of the total mass and it is either O-linked or N-linked. They are essential compounds for human skin care as they present a large diversity of properties and play a key role in cellular proteins maintenance, stress recovery, cell-to-cell communication and as constituents of cell walls and significant integral membrane proteins, where they influence cellular interaction. Such macromolecules mediate the adhesion between cells, which is vital for the development of functional tissues, as well as cell-substrate unions where they serve as receptors for adhesion ligands, as it occurs with fibroblasts and fibronectin.6 This capacity has structural effects when binding cells with proteins like collagen for example, as it offers strength and support to the matrix.6 These molecules are also related to polysaccharides and long linear heterogeneous polysaccharides known as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), both relevant compounds of the extracellular matrix (ECM) that reinforce skin strength and support. As well as GPs, EPSs offer a varied range of potential skin benefits, including structural and anti-ageing effects. EPSs are glucidic biopolymers naturally secreted for protection to the surrounding media as a response to environmental stress. They may influence fundamental processes like hydration, nutrition, cell proliferation, migration and recognition, interaction with cell receptors, and even some of them (highly hygroscopic) may resemble GAGs and function like them in the ECM.7–9 Usually, GAGs are covalently attached to a protein core forming proteoglycans, but hyaluronic acid (HA) is not.10,11 This GAG is extremely hydrophilic due to its negative charges, being able to attract and retain water up to 1000 times its own weight. HA, therefore, provides hydration and support, decreases epidermal water loss and raises water retention into the dermis (skin replenishing effect), apart from participating in cellular migration, proliferation and wound healing.10,12 Thus, molecules acting like HA would provide extra skin hydration, support and volume. Although most EPSs present either uronic acids like D-glucuronic acid or ketal-linked pyruvate, they have many possible compositions according to their main required natural function, implying a wide range of chemical and physical properties.13 These molecules present numerous potential applications in the cosmetic industry and their benefits include constant chemical and physical properties, a stable supply and a model to explore how microorganisms can stabilise themselves in extreme conditions.8,14 The previously-mentioned naturally originated compounds are particularly important in skin care as they can help to reduce the unconstructive effects that the passing years have on the skin and its properties. When ageing, there are biochemical, histological and physiological alterations that include ECM impairment, collagen and elastin degradation, hormonal changes, subcutaneous fat redistribution, slower metabolism rate, sebum secretion reduction and barrier function damage among others. These negative effects are also influenced by personal genetics and exacerbated by gravity force, stress, inadequate rest, a sedentary lifestyle, frequent and constant positional pressures of facial skin (during sleeping for example), repeated facial movements and environmental factors like low temperatures, wind or sun exposure. There is normally a dynamic equilibrium between the synthesis and degradation of HA in the skin, but, unfortunately, this balance is also altered during ageing due to the increasing number of HA molecules that bind the tissues, the diminution of its synthesis and the rise in its degradation produced by specific glycosyl hydrolases known as hyaluronidases. Such hydrolytic enzymes increase their catalytic activities over the years, reducing even more the quantity of available HA, lowering its viscosity and stimulating its dispersion. This reduction tends to produce further water loss, which leads to dehydration, volume shrink and visible wrinkles. Facial morphology becomes highly affected by all these ageing-induced changes, losing firmness, elasticity, hydration and volume in key areas related to young appearance. The area surrounding the mouth (perioral) is particularly vulnerable to changes, so ageing has especially negative effects on it. The small zone between the nose and the upper lip, known as nasolabial area, is highly susceptible to volume variations as even small ones can easily form nasogenian folds. Among the quickest to appear, the lines that etch vertically from the upper lip to the nose are highlighted, known as lipstick lines. Though genetics, stress, environmental conditions, diet, smoking and the constant facial muscle use can exacerbate the appearance of such wrinkles, their development is mainly the consequence of the deteriorating effects of getting older. Both wrinkles are considered clear signs of mature skin and getting older, becoming an important cosmetic target. Considering all this, marine natural compounds could be useful to fight ageing winkles in such delicate areas but sustainability also needs to be considered, so biotechnology becomes the solution. This technology encompasses the use of living microorganisms to obtain natural molecules for a specific use, while preserving the environment, as there is no harvesting or extracting from nature. The use of science and engineering in the manufacturing processes helps achieve an optimal performance, which yields an adequate growth and maximal productivity of a microorganism, enabling the obtaining of complex molecules that would not be possible to get through chemical reactions due to technical or economic limitations. Lipotec combined marine origin and biotechnology to develop two ingredients for ageing lines, especially in the perioral zone. For the nasolabial folds, Hyanify (INCI: Saccharide Isomerate) is an EPS obtained via biotechnological fermentation of a marine -proteobacteria strain isolated from the surface of a Laminaria alga in the Aber Wrac’h estuary in Brittany (France). This area has both the influence of salt and fresh water, so the inhabiting microorganisms need to develop special structures and mechanisms to survive, including the production of such functional EPS. For fine wrinkles and lipstick lines, Seacode (INCI: Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract) is an ingredient with ECPSs obtained through biotechnology from Pseudoalteromonas bacteria inhabiting extremely difficult marine environments (Antarctica and intertidal rocky shores). Several studies were performed to analyse the efficacy of these ingredients, concretely on the perioral area.

Materials and methods

In vitro evaluation of hyaluronic acid stimulation