Scientists at Queen Mary of the University of London believe they have found in sea urchins and sea cucumbers a new secret of youth. The results of this unusual study appeared in journals PLOS One and General and Comparative Endocrinology.
What’s special about sea urchins and sea cucumbers? These marine animals have aroused the interest of researchers because they are able to manage their collagen production. Scientists have investigated genes that encode peptides, molecules that tell cells in their bodies what to do. However, these peptides, produced by neurons, have the remarkable ability to modulate the elasticity of their collagen in the body of sea urchins and sea cucumbers. Let us recall in passing that collagen is a protein which ensures cohesion, elasticity and regeneration of tissues such as skin. What is surprising about these two marine organisms studied is that they sometimes manage to soften and sometimes tighten the collagen in their walls. A useful attribute in their aquatic environment since it allows them to squeeze in tight places. These living things are also able to quickly bring together collagen fibers to make their bodies firmer.
This work could open up new avenues of research in preventing and slowing down the aging process of the skin. It is indeed the degradation of collagen fibers and the loss of their elasticity that causes theappearance of wrinkles. The sea urchins would hold the key to firm the skin.
“Even though sea urchins and sea cucumbers don’t look much like us, we’re actually very close to them. As we age, changes in collagen cause our skin to sag. If we can figure out how the peptides do to quickly harden or soften the walls of these organisms, we could find new ways to keep young skin and full of health, ”says study director Professor Maurice Elphick of Queen Mary’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences.
