As the hunt for youthful ingredients storms forward, Italian researchers stumbled upon a possible new addition to anti-aging formulas. An Italian study discovered sugar peptides from wild tobacco plants delivers antioxidant properties and promotes collagen synthesis. The mix of peptides consisted of short peptides, amino acids and sugars, created by digesting glycoproteins in the tobacco plant’s cell walls.
Italian researchers tested the peptide mix in vitro. The results showed the sugar-peptide mix upregulated the expression of two proteins allegedly tied to aging, upregulated genes related to collagen synthesis and stability, and inhibited the expression of genes related to proteins known for collagen breakdown. When researchers added hydrogen peroxide it downregulated the expression of the proteins, but the effect was attenuated when the peptide mix was added.
Tobacco's sugar peptides may prove to be beneficial inclusions in future anti-aging applications.