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Volume 31
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10.3390/molecules31132381
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Enzymatic Fructosylation of EGCG Significantly Enhances Its Stability for Skin Barrier Repair and Anti-Aging Activities

by
Xiaojun Zhang
1,
Bohan Yang
1,
Qingna Gong
1,*,
Nianqing Zhu
2,*,
Yuan-Cheng Huang
3,
Jian-Ming Deng
3,
Min Yu
3,
Xiaodong Yan
1 and
Jing Wang
1,*
1
Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical & Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
2
School of Chemistry, Chemical and Materials Engineering, Taizhou University, Taizhou 225300, China
3
Guangzhou Huashi Cosmetics Technology Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510000, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Molecules 2026, 31(13), 2381; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31132381
Submission received: 29 May 2026 / Revised: 19 June 2026 / Accepted: 1 July 2026 / Published: 6 July 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Application of Natural Compounds in Skin Repair and Regenerative Medicine)
Versions Notes

Abstract

(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) possesses potent bioactivities but its applications in functional cosmetics is severely limited by its poor water solubility and chemical instability. To overcome these challenges, this study engineered a recombinant levansucrase from Vibrio natriegens to catalyze the transfructosylation of EGCG. The conversion rate of EGCG to fructoside reached 65.59%. The purified product was unequivocally identified as EGCG-1F, with a fructosyl group linked to the 3′-hydroxyl group. Compared to pristine EGCG, EGCG-1F exhibited remarkably enhanced water solubility (96.6-fold that of EGCG) and aqueous stability under acidic and thermal conditions. Biological evaluation revealed that EGCG-1F significantly enhanced HaCaT cell migration, upregulated the expression of basement membrane-associated collagens in ultraviolet B-damaged HaCaT cells, and modulated ultraviolet A-induced senescence in human dermal fibroblasts by type I collagen, type III collagen and matrix metalloproteinase-1 balance. This study demonstrates that enzymatic fructosylation is an effective approach to generate a stable and safe EGCG derivative with potential applications in skin barrier repair and anti-aging functional cosmetics.
Keywords: epigallocatechin gallate; levansucrase; fructosylation; skin barrier; anti-aging epigallocatechin gallate; levansucrase; fructosylation; skin barrier; anti-aging

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, X.; Yang, B.; Gong, Q.; Zhu, N.; Huang, Y.-C.; Deng, J.-M.; Yu, M.; Yan, X.; Wang, J. Enzymatic Fructosylation of EGCG Significantly Enhances Its Stability for Skin Barrier Repair and Anti-Aging Activities. Molecules 2026, 31, 2381. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31132381

AMA Style

Zhang X, Yang B, Gong Q, Zhu N, Huang Y-C, Deng J-M, Yu M, Yan X, Wang J. Enzymatic Fructosylation of EGCG Significantly Enhances Its Stability for Skin Barrier Repair and Anti-Aging Activities. Molecules. 2026; 31(13):2381. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31132381

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Xiaojun, Bohan Yang, Qingna Gong, Nianqing Zhu, Yuan-Cheng Huang, Jian-Ming Deng, Min Yu, Xiaodong Yan, and Jing Wang. 2026. "Enzymatic Fructosylation of EGCG Significantly Enhances Its Stability for Skin Barrier Repair and Anti-Aging Activities" Molecules 31, no. 13: 2381. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31132381

APA Style

Zhang, X., Yang, B., Gong, Q., Zhu, N., Huang, Y.-C., Deng, J.-M., Yu, M., Yan, X., & Wang, J. (2026). Enzymatic Fructosylation of EGCG Significantly Enhances Its Stability for Skin Barrier Repair and Anti-Aging Activities. Molecules, 31(13), 2381. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31132381

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