Evaluation of the effect of Thai breadfruit's heartwood extract on the biological functions of fibroblasts from wrinkles

In previous studies, extract from Artocarpus incisus's heartwood (breadfruit tree) had antioxidant and antimelanogenic activities. Here, we investigated the extract's action on facial skin fibroblasts from wrinkled skin and nonwrinkled skin biopsies, particularly in the production of type I procollagen and metallopro-teinase-1 (MMP-1) and in the reorganization of collagen fibers. We found that the extract at a concentration of 50 μg/ml significantly enhanced percent viability and proliferation of wrinkled-skin fibroblasts. Flow cytometry showed that a 3.6-fold increased proportion of the wrinkled-skin fibroblasts were in their cell cycle S-phase, indicating increased proliferation. Type I procollagen synthesis by wrinkled-skin fibroblasts was augmented by the extract. Nonwrinkled-skin fibroblasts had higher synthesis and were unaffected by the extract. MMP-1 secretion was greater for wrinkled-skin fibroblasts, but the extract decreased its secretion for both fibroblasts samples. Fibroblasts were incorporated in collagen lattice disks. Lattices with nonwrinkled-skin fibroblasts contracted uniformly by 56% after a three-day culture and the extract had little effect. However, wrinkled-skin fibroblast lattices failed to show appreciable contractions (to 12% after three days). But remarkably, the extract conferred an ability of the wrinkled-skin fibroblast lattices to fully contract (to 53%)- This shows that wrinkled-skin fibroblasts have the ability to reorganize collagen but that the extract can reactivate this latent potential. Our findings for the first time reveal that A. in-cisus's heartwood extract reversed the fibroblast deficiencies in the metabolism and reorganization of collagen and may underlie a wrinkle treatment.