Stimulation of collagen biosynthesis by topically applied vitamin C.

In the dermis, vitamin C is required for the formation of hydroxyprolyl residues to form stable triple-helical collagen molecules, and hydroxylysyl residues operating in crosslinks synthesis. In fibroblasts culture, vitamin C is also known to stabilize the collagen messenger RNAs (m-RNA) and increase procollagen synthesis. The activity in the dermis of vitamin C topically applied on normal human skin is demonstrated in the present study by observing an increased steady-state level of the m-RNA for the two major collagen molecules (I and III) in skin, three of their postradiational processing enzymes (Nand C-procollagen peptidases and lysyloxidase) and markers of dermal and epidermal cells activity.