Biological & pharmaceutical bulletinAug 2, 2007

Alpha-ketoglutarate boosts collagen production in skin cells and reduces UVB-related wrinkles in hairless mice

Updated Jan 17, 2026

Abstract

Alpha-ketoglutarate (10 microM) stimulated procollagen production in fibroblasts by 25.6% compared to control cells.

Alpha-ketoglutarate is associated with increased procollagen production in cultured human dermal fibroblasts.
The activity of prolidase, important for collagen metabolism, is increased by alpha-ketoglutarate in fibroblasts.
Inhibition of prolidase with N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-proline reduces procollagen synthesis stimulated by alpha-ketoglutarate.
Topical application of alpha-ketoglutarate (1%) on UVB-irradiated hairless mice reduces wrinkle formation over twelve weeks.
These findings suggest that alpha-ketoglutarate may enhance collagen production and decrease UVB-induced wrinkles.

Simplified

Alpha-ketoglutarate is a key intermediate in the Krebs cycle, and a rate-limiting cofactor of prolyl-4-hydroxylase. It also has a potent effect on increasing the proline pool during collagen production, but the details underlying the boosting effect on collagen production by alpha-ketoglutarate remain as yet unreported. To investigate the effects of alpha-ketoglutarate on procollagen production and wrinkle formation, we conducted experiments in cultured human dermal fibroblasts and UVB-irradiated hairless mice. Based on ELISA measurements, alpha-ketoglutarate (10 microM) stimulated procollagen production in fibroblasts by 25.6+/-4.6% compared to vehicle (dH(2)O)-treated control cells. Also, we demonstrated that alpha-ketoglutarate increased activities of prolidase, which is known to play an important role in collagen metabolism, in fibroblasts and N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-proline (Cbz-Pro), prolidase inhibitor, inhibited procollagen synthesis by alpha-ketoglutarate in fibroblasts. To determine the effect of topically applied alpha-ketoglutarate on wrinkle formation, alpha-ketoglutarate (1%) and vehicle (70% propylene glycol, 30% ethanol) were applied on the dorsal skin of UVB-induced hairless mice for twelve weeks. We found that alpha-ketoglutarate decreased wrinkle formation upon long-term topical application. These results suggest that alpha-ketoglutarate diminishes UVB-induced wrinkle formation by increasing collagen production, through a pathway that involves prolidase activation. Therefore, application of alpha-ketoglutarate may represent an effective anti-wrinkle agent for the cosmetic field.

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