“Maeda Laboratory” is a laboratory in the Department of Physics and Information Technology, Kyushu Institute of Technology.

Do you know “what elastin is?”

In our laboratory, we are studying a protein called “elastin”.

Research Overview

Elastin is an important protein that, together with collagen, constitutes our body. Collagen is a protein that contributes to the hardness of bones and teeth. In contrast, elastin is a protein that maintains the elasticity of tissues such as blood vessels, lungs, and skin. In recent years, water-soluble elastin extracted from animals and fish has become available in dietary supplements and cosmetics. In addition, low molecular weight elastin has been shown to exhibit a variety of physiological activities. In our laboratory, we are developing efficient methods for extracting elastin from natural materials, discovering various physiological activities, and developing molecular materials that utilize the elasticity of elastin.

In general, proteins and peptides are absorbed into the body after being degraded into amino acids. Since elastin is a protein, it is thought that the elastin contained in dietary supplements is absorbed into the body after being degraded to a smaller size, peptides and amino acids.

Therefore, it is expected that the degraded small-sized elastin (elastin-derived peptides) may exert various effects. In addition, elastin plays a role in activating various cells in the body. Therefore, although further research is needed, its effects on blood vessels and skin are expected to be effective in preventing arteriosclerosis and skin aging.

By the way, elastin has a unique property called “coacervation,” in which the elastin molecules self-assemble. It is also expected that various biomaterials for medical use can be developed using this coacervation property.

We are challenging to design and fabricate new biofunctional materials (biomaterials) by utilizing the various functions of elastin. Our goal is to apply the developed materials to artificial blood vessels and carriers for drug delivery systems (DDS).