Efficacy of Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 Ampoule on Improvement of Elasticity in C3H Mice Skin

Purpose: Acetyl hexapeptide-8 (AH-8) had been reportedly effective in improving keratinocytes. Ampoules containing AH-8 as an active ingredient were prepared, and their efficacy for improving skin elasticity was evaluated.Methods: Ampoules containing 3% and 5% AH-8 were prepared, and their efficacy was evaluated. C3H mice were pretreated with different AH-8 ampoule concentrations and then irradiated with UVB for 6 weeks. Changes in the number of collagen and elastic fibers from paraffin-embedded skin tissues were quantitatively measured using an image analysis program.Results: Our data showed that the skin of C3H mice with UVB-irradiated markedly decreased the collagen levels compared to the control. Moreover, pretreatment of 3% and 5% AH-8 ampoules on UVB irradiation increased collagen production. Furthermore, the elastin production was decreased in the UVB-irradiated group compared to the control and the elastin level in the skin of C3H mice was similar in both pretreated with 5% AH-8 on the UVB irradiation and control groups.Conclusions: This study has proven that HA-8 ampoules had a high capability of improving elasticity when compared to vehicle ampoule-containing ginkgo leaf and green tea extracts. Moreover, this study revealed the efficacy of AH-8 for increasing skin elasticity in terms of a cosmetic active ingredient.