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With the increase in life expectancy, reducing the visible signs of skin aging has become a major issue. A reduction in collagen and hyaluronic acid synthesis by fibroblasts is a feature of skin aging. The green seaweed, Ulva intestinalis , is an abundant and rich source of nutrients, especially proteins and peptides. The aim of this study was to assess the potential cosmetic properties of a protein fraction from Ulva intestinalis (PROT-1) containing 51% of proteins and 22% of polysaccharides, and its enzymatic peptide hydrolysates on human dermal fibroblasts. PROT-1 was extracted using a patented acid- and solvent-free process (FR2998894 (B1)). The biochemical characterization and chromatographic analysis showed a main set of proteins (25 kDa). To demonstrate the anti-aging potential of PROT-1, fibroblast proliferation and collagen and hyaluronic acid production were assessed on fibroblast cell lines from donors aged 20 years (CCD-1059Sk) and 46 years (CCD-1090Sk). PROT-1 induced a significant increase in collagen and hyaluronic acid production per cell, and a reduction in cell proliferation without increasing cell mortality. These effects were reversed after protein hydrolysis of PROT-1, showing the central role of proteins in this promising anti-aging property.

(1) Background: Brown and red algal sulfated polysaccharides have been widely described as anticoagulant agents. However, data on green algae, especially on the Ulva genus, are limited. This study aimed at isolating ulvan from the green macroalga Ulva rigida using an acid- and solvent-free procedure, and investigating the effect of sulfate content on the anticoagulant activity of this polysaccharide. (2) Methods: The obtained ulvan fraction was chemically sulfated, leading to a doubling of the polysaccharide sulfate content in a second ulvan fraction. The potential anticoagulant activity of both ulvan fractions was then assessed using different assays, targeting the intrinsic and/or common (activated partial thromboplastin time), extrinsic (prothrombin time), and common (thrombin time) pathways, and the specific antithrombin-dependent pathway (anti-Xa and anti-IIa), of the coagulation cascade. Furthermore, their anticoagulant properties were compared to those of commercial anticoagulants: heparin and Lovenox ® . (3) Results: The anticoagulant activity of the chemically-sulfated ulvan fraction was stronger than that of Lovenox ® against both the intrinsic and extrinsic coagulation pathways. (4) Conclusion: The chemically-sulfated ulvan fraction could be a very interesting alternative to heparins, with different targets and a high anticoagulant activity.

Ulvans from Ulva sp. were tested for their potential cosmetic properties on human dermal fibroblasts. The crude ulvans (ULVAN-01, 57kDa), extracted using a patented acid- and solvent-free process, were subjected to depolymerization using ion exchange resin to obtain a low molecular weight ulvan (ULVAN-DEP, 4kDa). The biochemical characterization and UHPLC-HRMS analyses of these extracted ulvans showed that they were of high purity and predominantly composed of a repeated ulvanobiouronic acid disaccharide. Fibroblast proliferation, as well as hyaluronan and collagen release were assessed, demonstrating that ULVAN-01 reduced fibroblast proliferation rate while ULVAN-DEP had no significant effect. Both ulvans were ineffective to induce collagen production but induced a significant increase in hyaluronan production, with a strong influence of the molecular weight. Thus, crude and depolymerized ulvans had different metabolic activities on dermal fibroblasts, which makes them promising to envisage further development in the skin care field., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)