The Potential Use of Novel Plant-Derived Recombinant Human Collagen in Aesthetic Medicine

Recombinant human type I collagen, identical in structure and functionality to human type I collagen, was successfully expressed and extracted from genetically modified tobacco plants. Contrarily to tissue extracted protein, rhCollagen is not immunogenic and not allergenic and has an intact triple helix structure showing superior biological functionality. A photocurable rhCollagen was developed by chemically modifying the protein to allow cross-linking under illumination at various wavelengths, maintaining the protein structural and biological functions. The use of the photocurable rhCollagen in aesthetic medicine, especially as a dermal filler and as a bioink for 3D-printed breast implant is discussed in this article.