Skin Antiaging Effects of the Fermented Outer Layers of Leaf Skin of <i>Aloe barbadensis</i> Miller Associated with the Enhancement of Mitochondrial Activities of UV_b-Irradiated Human Skin Fibroblasts

• Main Authors: Hyeonwoo Lee, Woonyong Choi, Hyangseon Ro, Gyurae Kim, Hyeonyong Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: leaf skin of <i>Aloe vera</i>; mitochondrial activities; skin antiaging; lactic acid fermentation
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/12/5660

This study is the first to show that increased mitochondrial activities improved the antiaging effects of <i>Aloe vera</i> leaf skin fermented by <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> on UV_b-irradiated skin fibroblasts. The fermented extract (AF) increased the activities of mitochondrial reductase and the complex II and significantly reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, even under UV_b stress conditions, and also increased DPPH free radical scavenging activities compared with the hot water extract of outer layers of aloe leaf (AW) and quercetin itself. AF exerted a synergistic effect with quercetin and bioactive substances derived from the fermentation process. Moreover, mitochondrial activation of UV_b-irradiated human skin fibroblasts by 0.3% (<i>w</i>/<i>v</i>) of the AF plays important roles in increasing collagen production up to 125 ± 5.45% and decreasing MMP-1 secretion down to 69.41 ± 2.63% of the control levels. The AF enhanced the upregulation of collagen gene expression, and this change was also greater than those induced by the AW and quercetin. Therefore, this study concludes that fermentation of the skin of aloe leaves increases the activation of mitochondria and inhibits the photo-aging of UV_b-irradiated skin fibroblasts.