Improvement of Skin Photoaging by Polysaccharide Extract Derived from Tremella fuciformis (White Jelly Mushroom)

Chronic ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes photoaging, which represents skin damage, disrupts skin barrier function, and promotes wrinkle formation. We investigated that the polysaccharide extract of an edible basidiomycetous white jelly mushroom, Tremella fuciformis, (TF-Glucan) exhibited statistically photoprotective activity by inhibiting matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) and increasing collagen synthesis, and an antiinflammatory activity by inhibiting nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines at the concentrations of less than 1000 μg/ml, which is not cytotoxic (p < 0.05). Additionally, TF-Glucan increased the expression of involucrin and filaggrin to prevent the disruption of UVB-induced barrier function (p < 0.05). TF-Glucan was assessed as a safe material by the human primary skin irritation (1, 3, 5%), human repeated insult patch test (no sensitization at 5%), 3T3 NRU phototoxicity assay (no phototoxicity, PIF < 2, MPE < 0.1), eye irritation test test by BCOP (no category, IVIS  3) and local lymph node assay (negative at 10, 25, 50%) for identifying potential skin sensitizing. These results suggest that TF-Glucan may be useful as an anti-photoaging ingredient for developing cosmeceuticals.