We investigated the potential effects of lamb placenta on UVB irradiation-induced decreases in skin hydration in vitro and in vivo. We found that UVB irradiation suppressed the mRNAs expression of procollagen type Ⅰ, collagen type Ⅰ, elastin, fibrillin-1, and hyaluronan synthase 2 in back skin from UVB-irradiated hairless mice. In addition, UVB irradiation decreased the skin hydration in hairless mice. However, dietary supplement of lamb placenta inhibited the decreases in the mRNAs expression of procollagen type Ⅰ, collagen type Ⅰ, elastin, fibrillin-1, and hyaluronan synthase 2 and the skin hydration in UVB-irradiated hairless mice. Moreover, we found that lamb placenta treatment increased hyaluronan production while UVB irradiation decreased hyaluronan production in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells. Therefore, these results confirmed the possibility that lamb placenta could be developed as a functional food material to increase skin moisturizing.

Keywords: lamb placenta, UVB, skin aging, skin hydration