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]. Cosmet. Sci. J 56, 395-406 (November/December 2005) Cosmeceutical properties of levan produced by Zymomonas mobilis KI HO KIM, CHAN BOK CHUNG, YOUNG HEUI KIM, Kl SOO KIM, CHANG SUNG HAN, and CHUL HO KIM, R&D Center, Bioland Ltd., Cheonan 330-863, Korea (K.H.K., C.B.C.J Y.H.K., K.S.K., C.S.H.), and Metabolic Engineering Research Laboratory, KRIBBJ Taejon 305-333J Korea (C.H.K.). Accepted for publication July 18, 2005. Synopsis Levan, a polysaccharide that can be produced by both plants and microorganisms, is a sugar polymer composed of fructose, with [)-2,6 linkages. Here, we have attempted to assess the possible use of levan produced by Zymomonas mobilis as a cosmeceutical ingredient. In service of this goal, we assessed a host of levan's properties, including its moisturizing effects, cell cytotoxicity, cell proliferation effects, and anti­ inflammation effects. Levan exhibited a moisturizing effect that was almost exactly the same as that evidenced by hyaluronic acid, as well as a similar cell proliferation effect in human fibroblast and keratinocyte cell lines. Moreover, in our cell proliferation test, which was conducted using bio-artificial skin constructed via 3-dimensional (3-D) culture after the induction of primary skin inflammation with 0.05% sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), cell viability in the presence of levan (0.01 mg/ml, 0.05 mg/ml) was determined to be higher than cell viability in the absence of levan. In our anti-inflammation test, which was also conducted using 3-D artificial skin, and which involved the measurement of a quantity of secreted interleukin-la (IL-lex), a pre-inflammatory mediator induced by SLS, we determined that the quantity of IL-la in the 3-D artificial skin treated with 0.01 mg/ml and 0.05 mg/ml of levan was less than that registered in a skin sample that had been treated only with SLS. In this study, we determined that levan exerted an anti-inflammatory effect against inflam­ matory reactions to skin irritants, and also that levan exerted a cell-proliferative effect in bio-artificial skin, thereby indicating its potential applicability as a cosmeceutical agent. INTRODUCTION Polysaccharides that exist in nature can be divided into structural carbohydrates and non-structural carbohydrates. Cellulose, xyloglucan, pectin, etc. are designated as struc­ tural carbohydrates. Sucrose, starch, and fructan are considered non-structural carbohy­ drates. The best-known non-structural carbohydrate is starch, which consists either of amylase, with a-1,4 glucose linkages, or of amylopectin, with a-1,6 glucose linkages. Fructan, which is normally isolated from plants under natural conditions, or produced by microorganisms, is a non-structural carbohydrate containing r?,-2,6 fructose linkages 395