Global egg production generates 7-8 million tonnes of eggshell waste annually, of which the protein-rich eggshell membrane (ESM) is largely discarded. ESM is a naturally assembled extracellular matrix containing collagens (types I, V, and X), glycosaminoglycans, and bioactive proteins. This review synthesizes compositional, mechanistic, preclinical, and clinical evidence on the role of ESM in skin homeostasis and cutaneous wound healing. Across micronized powders and alkaline-solubilized fractions, ESM suppresses NF-κB-driven inflammation, reducing TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8 while boosting anti-inflammatory IL-10; though concurrent elevations in IL-1β and IL-6 with whole powder preparations indicate that the net inflammatory balance is context; and dose-sensitive rather than uniformly anti-inflammatory. ESM also upregulates type III collagen, decorin, and hyaluronan synthases in dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes, promoting an ECM environment associated with young, elastic skin. In acute wound contexts, ESM activates MMP-2 and MMP-9 to clear damaged tissue yet suppresses MMP-1 in photoaged skin to protect intact collagen; a context-dependent modulation consistent with homeostatic regulation. In animal models, processed ESM powder accelerates wound closure, thickens granulation tissue, enhances re-epithelialization, and increases collagen deposition, with significant results in diabetic wound models where micronized powder outperformed silver sulfadiazine. Finally, oral supplementation with processed ESM powders has shown measurable improvements in skin hydration, elasticity, and barrier function in randomized, placebo-controlled human trials.
Kane et al. (Mon,) studied this question.