Elastin is a kind of hard protein with elasticity like rubber. It is found in elastic connective tissues - ligaments, blood vessels (arteries), lungs, skin, etc., and is present throughout the human body along with collagen and other proteins.
Elastin contains specific amino acids - "desmosine" and "isodesmosine", which play an important role in cross-linking.
Desmosin and isodesmosin are special amino acids that are found only in elastin and are called "binding amino acids. Desmosin and isodesmosin form a bridge between the substances that make up elastin, and together they form elastin (elastic fibers).
Examined: 25 healthy men and women (mean age 45.8 ± 10.8 years)
Intake: elastin 75 mg/day
Method of investigation: pulse wave velocity was measured every 4 weeks.
Results: after 4 weeks, the value of SRPV significantly decreased.
Vascular elasticity was observed to improve and vascular aging decline was confirmed
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Elastin is a fibrous protein that binds collagen together, also known as "elastin fiber." It is found in the skin dermis, blood vessels, ligaments, and other body tissues where elasticity and stretchiness are required. In humans, elastin makes up about 78-80% of ligaments, 50% of arteries, 20% of lungs, and 5% of skin dermis.
Elastin is a protein widely distributed in vertebrates. However, because it is insoluble in water and other solvents, it was not closely studied until recently.
However, in recent years, a method for dissolving elastin in solvents has been established, and research has advanced rapidly, gradually clarifying its properties and the role it plays in the body.
Elastin is currently being studied in connection with various diseases, and is expected to play a role not only as a cosmetic product, but also as a functional ingredient for health.
It is also expected that elastin will be used
Elastin consists of more than 800 amino acids, 80-90% of which are leucine, alanine, glycine, proline, and valine. Elastin is resistant to chemical influences such as weak acids and alkalis, but is slowly degraded by proteolytic enzymes such as elastase*. Elastin is thus involved in elasticity and stretching of the body.
Together with collagen and hyaluronic acid, elastin is produced by fibroblasts in the dermis of the skin. Fibroblasts are responsible for slow tissue metabolism, creating new tissue and breaking down old tissue. The amount of elastin in the body peaks around age 25 and decreases slowly with age, with a rapid decline after age 40. Elastin is also said to decrease when exposed to reactive oxygen species**, such as UV light, stress, and smoking. When elastin is reduced, skin elasticity is lost, wrinkles and sagging appear, and blood vessels age faster, increasing the risk of serious diseases such as arteriosclerosis, myocardial infarction and cerebral thrombosis. Loss of ligament elasticity due to loss of elastin can also make them more susceptible to injury. Elastin does not always recover properly from its destruction, so daily care is important.
Elastin is found in large quantities in the aorta of cattle and the bulbous artery bonito***. Animal arteries contain a lot of elastin because they act as pumps to pump blood throughout the body and need to be flexible and elastic. However, the foods that contain the most elastin are rarely found on our tables. Since elastin is hard to get from food, supplements can be an effective way to replenish it. It is best taken before bedtime. It is said that skin is created during sleep, and the period between 10pm and 2am is known as "Cinderella time," when skin is actively reborn. Therefore, to maintain beautiful and healthy skin it is important to replenish elastin through foods and supplements, go to bed early and get enough sleep.
* Elastase is an enzyme that breaks down elastin.
** Reactive oxygen species are oxygen species that have strong oxidative capacity due to their much higher reactivity compared to normal oxygen. When produced in excess in the body, they affect lipids, proteins, and DNA and are thought to cause aging.
*** The arteriocyte is the artery that runs from the heart to the blood vessels and is a partially developed part of the aortic wall. The arteriocyte consists of elastic tissue and is responsible for regulating the flow of blood exiting the ventricles at high velocity, as well as sensing blood pressure and pumping blood between ventricular contractions.
Elastin, along with collagen, is found in the skin's dermis and is responsible for giving the skin elasticity and firmness. Human skin consists of three main layers: epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissue. The dermis, which is rich in elastin, acts as a cushion to keep the skin supple and elastic. The dermis is about 0.5 to 2 mm thick and consists mainly of collagen and elastin, which are protein fibers, and mucopolysaccharides* such as hyaluronic acid, which retain water. Collagen, which makes up about 70% of the dermis, stretches like a mesh, and elastin holds the mesh together. Although elastin only makes up about 5% of the dermis, it is very important because it binds collagen together and supports the skin from the inside out. Skin elasticity is maintained by the elasticity of the network of elastin and collagen fibers in the dermis, as well as hyaluronic acid, which fills the spaces between the fibers and retains enough water.
When skin loses elasticity and firmness, wrinkles and sagging appear. Wrinkles and sagging of the skin are caused by damage to elastin and collagen fibers due to reactive oxygen species produced in the body. When reactive oxygen species are produced in the dermis, elastin and collagen fibers break down, become bizarrely intertwined, or are produced in excess, resulting in an imbalance in the fiber structure. As a result of this imbalance, the skin loses its elasticity and firmness, resulting in wrinkles. Loss of elasticity of elastin and collagen fibers also reduces the ability of skin and fat to bind to facial muscles and bones, resulting in sagging skin and fat. To prevent wrinkles and sagging of the skin, it is important not only to prevent the production of active oxygen, which can cause imbalances in the fiber structure, but also to ensure that the main components of the dermis, elastin, collagen and hyaluronic acid, are not deficient.
Elastin is found in the heart and blood vessels throughout the body and plays a role in providing elasticity. The heart has both elastic and muscular arteries, and the elastic arteries near the heart contain particularly large amounts of elastin. Blood pumped from the heart travels through the arteries and then through the veins back to the heart. The walls of arterial and venous blood vessels consist of three layers: intima, tunica media and adventitia. Elastin is particularly abundant in the intima and tunica media of the blood vessel wall, and it is extremely elastic. However, if elastin decreases due to reactive oxygen species or aging, the flexibility of blood vessels is lost, which is thought to make them more susceptible to diseases such as arteriosclerosis, myocardial infarction and cerebral thrombosis. Elastin is therefore thought to play an important role in preventing diseases such as atherosclerosis.
Ligaments are found throughout the body and consist of many elastin and collagen fibers. The elasticity of elastin and collagen helps maintain the elasticity of the ligaments. When elastin is deficient, ligaments become less elastic and less flexible, making them more susceptible to injuries such as ligament tears, where part or all of a ligament is torn.
* Mucopolysaccharides are substances that connect cells to each other. They are found in the skin, joints, and internal organs.
Products containing elastin:
This fish elastin peptides are recommended for people:
1] Elastin has an inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation and promotes the proliferation of human skin cells (fibroblasts), which suggests that elastin has antithrombotic, blood flow improving and skin protecting effects.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20853312
2] Aspartic acid in elastin is known to degenerate with age. The degree of degeneration of aspartic acid is an indicator of elastin aging.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14632798
3] Elastin fibers have been found to be damaged in atherosclerosis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and type II diabetes. The focus is on ways to prevent disease-induced elastin fiber damage.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22099332
4] The concentration of soluble elastin has been found to be increased in patients with atherosclerosis. The concentration of soluble elastin is thought to be an indicator of arterial stiffness.
