Effects of Egg Shell Membrane Hydrolysates on Skin Whitening, Wound Healing, and UV-Protection

This study was conducted to examine the effects of egg shell membrane hydrolysates (ESMH) on skin whitening, wound healing, and UV-protection. ESMH was divided into three groups by molecular weight (Fraction I: above 10 kDa of ESMH, Fraction II: 3 kDa-10 kDa of ESMH, Fraction III: below 3 kDa of ESMH). As a result, all of ESMHs showed over 90% of protein contents. The wound healing experiment using HaCaT cells showed that the fraction T was slightly superior to other fractions depending on the concentration though it was not significantly different. In the experiments of inhibition of tyrosinase and L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) oxidation to verify the L-DOPA whitening effect, the whole ESMH (before fractioning) showed a similar amount of inhibition effect with arbutin (control). In the inhibition of melanin formation in B16-F1 melanoma cells, the fraction I showed a high inhibitory effect. In the experiment for protecting the skin from ultraviolet rays using HaCaT cells, all the fractions showed a higher rate of cell viability than the control. In conclusion, this study confirmed that the cosmetic effects of ESMHs such as skin whitening, wound healing, and UV-protection, which were divided depending on the molecule weight. We could confirm that the possibility of ESMHs as a material for functional cosmetics.