Inhibitory effects of polyphenols from grape pomace extract on collagenase and elastase activity

Breakdown and disorganization of extracellular matrix proteins like collagen, fibronectin and elastin are main characteristics of skin aging due to the enhanced activation of proteolytic enzymes such as collagenases and elastases. Inhibition of their enzymatic activities by natural plant compounds might be a promising approach to prevent extrinsic skin aging. Especially polyphenols are supposed to interact with those enzymes due to their molecular nature. In our investigation, extracts of pomace from Riesling grapes were analyzed for their inhibitory properties on collagenase as well as elastase. Crude grape pomace extract showed a dose-dependent inhibitory activity against both enzymes with IC₅₀-values of 20.3 μg/ml and 14.7 μg/ml for collagenase and elastase activity, respectively. The extracts were fractionated into four fractions containing phenolic compounds differing in chemical structure and polarity. Except for the stilbene containing fraction, all other fractions showed inhibitory effects on both enzyme activities. The most pronounced impact was found for the hydrophilic low molecular weight polyphenols containing the free phenolic acids. In particular, gallic acid showed considerable inhibition values. EGCG was used as a positive control and showed a dose-dependent inhibition of collagenase activity (IC₅₀ = 0.9 mM).