Age-related changes in dermal collagen physical properties in human skin

Collagen is the major structural protein in the skin. Fragmentation and disorganization of the collagen fibrils are the hallmarks of the aged human skin dermis. These age-related alterations of collagen fibrils impair skin structural integrity and make the tissue microenvironment more prone to skin disorders. As the biological function of collagen lies predominantly in its physical properties, we applied atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nanoindentation to evaluate the physical properties (surface roughness, stiffness, and hardness) of dermal collagen in young (25±5 years, N = 6) and aged (75±6 years, N = 6) healthy sun-protected hip skin. We observed that in the aged dermis, the surface of collagen fibrils was rougher, and fiber bundles were stiffer and harder, compared to young dermal collagen. Mechanistically, the age-related elevation of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are responsible for rougher and stiffer/harder dermal collagen, respectively. Analyzing the physical properties of dermal collagen as a function of age revealed that alterations of the physical properties of collagen fibrils changed with age (22-89 years, N = 18). We also observed that the reticular dermis is rougher and mechanically stiffer and harder compared to the papillary dermis in human skin. These data extend the current understanding of collagen beyond biological entities to include biophysical properties.