ANTI-SKIN-AGING BENEFITS OF EXOPOLYMERS FROM AUREOBASIDIUM PULLULANS 295 including lipids, proteins, and DNA, and accelerate skin-aging processes (3,4). In normal healthy conditions, antioxidant defense systems detoxify ROS and prevent damage to cellular biomolecules. However, when endogenous antioxidants fail to defend against oxidative stresses, due to overproduction of ROS (14), the balance between the generation of ROS and antioxidant capacity is broken. This leads to oxidative damage that contrib- utes to the progression of skin aging (33,34). Thus, antioxidants play an important role in counteracting the damaging effect of ROS. SOD is an endogenous antioxidant enzyme that contributes to enzymatic defense mechanisms (35). Increased SOD activity, or SOD- like activities, is implicated in increased resistance to oxidative stress-induced damage (36). Therefore, effective antioxidants can protect cells against ROS-mediated skin aging, and various antioxidants have been used as antiaging agents in functional cosmetics (12,37). We further examined the whitening benefi ts of E-AP-SM2001 by tyrosinase inhibition assay and by melanin formation test in B16/F10 melanoma cells. Our results indicated that E-AP-SM2001 can inhibit the activation of tyrosinase and reduce melanin formation in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suppose that E-AP-SM2001 may be have a potential effect for skin whitening. Melanin is the main component determining the color of skin, and up to 10% of cells in the innermost layer of the epidermis produce melanin pigments (38,39). Melanin is synthesized in melanocytes and transported to keratinocytes to protect cells. Melanin biosynthesis is regulated by tyrosinase, tyrosinase- related protein (TRP)-1, and TRP-2 (39,40). The activity of tyrosinase is important in the control of melanogenesis as it functions as the catalyst in the rate-limiting reaction of the melanogenic pathway. It is accepted that the inhibition of tyrosinase is the most com- mon approach to achieve skin whiteness (39,41). To determine the skin moisturizing effect, a mask containing E-AP-SM2001 was com- pared with an SFF-containing mask. E-AP-SM2001 showed concentration-dependent inhibition of hyaluronidase, elastase, collagenase, and MMP-1. Skin wrinkling, the ap- pearance of visible signs on the surface of the skin (42), is a complex inevitable process of skin aging and involves an age-dependent decline in skin cell function. It is closely as- sociated with harmful proteolytic degradation of the extracellular matrix. Evidence sug- gests that there is a strong connection between the activity of dermal enzymes (hyaluronidase, collagenase, elastase, and MMP-1) and wrinkle formation (27,42). For this reason, an antiwrinkle agent should have the potential to inhibit these enzymes (1,18). Skin water content was signifi cantly increased in E-AP-SM2001-treated mouse skin, as compared to vehicle control mouse skin. In addition, a mask pack containing E-AP- SM2001 showed twofold more extensive moisturizing effects, as compared to an SFF- containing mask. These observations indicated that E-AP-SM2001 have skin moisturizing effects. Skin moisturizing effects can be easily detected by measuring water contents, in animal skins or human pilot studies (30,43,44). Healthy human keratin layers maintain a water content of 10–20%. However, sunlight and other factors decrease moisture con- tent, resulting in the formation of wrinkles. For these reasons, keratin layers must contain enough moisture to maintain healthy elastic skin, even in dry conditions (45). Collectively, these results suggest that E-AP-SM2001 have adequate antiaging, antiwrin- kle, and whitening benefi ts and skin moisturizing effect as an ingredient of functional cosmetics. Interestingly, a mask pack containing E-AP-SM2001 had more extensive

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