Application of horse-derived placental peptides in cosmetics

The placenta is a tissue mass formed in the uterus. It is an indispensable organ that is responsible for the transportation of blood required for fetal growth. Horse placenta has been used in the health food and cosmetic fields in recent years. We enzymatically treated horse placenta and obtained placental peptides with molecular weights < 3,000 Da. We mainly performed the in vitro experiments using human fibroblasts. We confirmed that placental peptides primarily activate the mitochondria of human fibroblasts and promote the production of type I collagen. Therefore, we suggest the use of placental peptides as materials that contribute to the improvement of skin elasticity and reduction of wrinkles in the cosmetic field. *Correspondence to: Koji Wakame, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University of Science, 15-4-1,Maeda 7-jo, Teine-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido 006-0085, Japan, Tel: +81(11) 676 8682; Fax: +81 (11) 676 8666; E-mail: wakame-k@hus.ac.jp