Radix Scutellariae (RS) has long been used in the treatment of inflammatory and allergic diseases. Its main flavonoids, baicalin (BG) and wogonoside (WG), can be hydrolyzed into their corresponding aglycones, baicalein (B) and wogonin (W). In this study, we developed a safe and effective method of transforming these glycosides using Peclyve PR. The transformation rate of BG and WG reached 98.5 and 98.1%, respectively, with 10% enzyme at 40 °C for 60 h. Furthermore, we compared the anti-photoaging activity of RS before and after enzyme treatment, as well as their respective main components, in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells. Results found that enzyme-treated RS (ERS) appeared to be much better at preventing UVB-induced photoaging than RS. ERS significantly inhibited the upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase-1 and IL-6 caused by UVB radiation by inactivating the MAPK/AP-1 and NF-κB/IκB-α signaling pathways. ERS treatment also recovered UVB-induced reduction of procollagen type I by activating the TGF-β/Smad pathway. In addition, ERS exhibited an excellent antioxidant activity, which could increase the expression of cytoprotective antioxidants such as HO-1 and NQ-O1, by facilitating Nrf2 nuclear transfer. These findings demonstrated that the photoprotective effects of RS were significantly improved by enzyme-modified biotransformation.

Myrciaria dubia (HBK) McVaugh (camu-camu) belongs to the family Myrtaceae. Although camu-camu has received a great deal of attention for its potential pharmacological activities, there is little information on the anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory effects of camu-camu fruit in skin diseases. In the present study, we investigated the preventative effect of 70% ethanol camu-camu fruit extract against high glucose-induced human keratinocytes. High glucose-induced overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was inhibited by camu-camu fruit treatment. In response to ROS reduction, camu-camu fruit modulated the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK)/activator protein-1 (AP-1), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) signaling pathways related to inflammation by downregulating the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Furthermore, camu-camu fruit treatment activated the expression of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and subsequently increased the NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase1 (NQO1) expression to protect keratinocytes against high-glucose-induced oxidative stress. These results indicate that camu-camu fruit is a promising material for preventing oxidative stress and skin inflammation induced by high glucose level.

Long-term exposure of the skin to solar radiation causes chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, which accelerates collagen degradation. This contributes to the formation of wrinkles and dark spots, skin fragility, and even skin cancer. In this study, Anemopsis californica (AC), a herb from North America that is well known for treating microorganism infection and promoting wound healing, was investigated for its photoprotective effects. The biological effects of AC were studied on two in vitro models, namely, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced macrophages and ultraviolet B (UVB)-irradiated dermal fibroblasts, to characterize its underlying molecular mechanisms. The results showed that AC decreased the mRNA levels of inflammatory mediators in sensitized macrophages, including cytokines, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase (COX-2). Moreover, AC alleviated UVB-induced photoaging in dermal fibroblasts by restoring procollagen synthesis. This resulted from the regulation of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) by AC, which was mediated by the activation of the antioxidative system nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2). AC also alleviated oxidative stress and inflammatory responses by inhibiting the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and interfering with the nuclear translocation of the immune regulator nuclear factor of activated T-cells 1 (NFATc1). In conclusion, the protective effects of AC on skin cellular components suggested that it has the potential for use in the development of drugs and cosmetics that protect the skin from UVB-induced chronic inflammation and aging.

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Previous study has found that Orobanche cernua Loefling(OC) and its main ingredient, acteoside, possess excellently antiphoto-aging effect. In addition to acteoside, crenatoside, isoacteoside and 2′-acetylacteoside were also identified as the main phenylethanol glycosides (PhGs) in OC. To screen optimum effective substance and further clarify the photoprotective ingredients of OC, the effects of four major PhGs in OC were compared using UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells. Results indicated that acteoside, isoacteoside and 2′-acetylacteoside effectively decreased UVB-induced MMP-1 expression and stimulated type I procollagen synthesis through inhibition of MAPK/AP-1 and activation of TGF-β/Smad pathway. Moreover, acteoside and 2′-acetylacteoside significantly reduced UVB-induced ROS and TARC secretion, which is involved in the inhibition of NF-κβ/ Iκβα and stimulation of Nrf2 antioxidant defense system. However, crenatoside did not show any effect on the regulation of signal cascades mentioned above. Together, our results suggested that 2′-acetylacteoside and isoacteoside also served as efficient agents against UV radiation-induced skin damage. Among them, acteoside and 2′-acetylacteoside showed a higher efficiency than that of isoacteoside, which possessed great potential in treating skin photo-damage.

Damiana (Turnera diffusa), of the family Passifloraceae, has been widely studied for its pharmacological effects, especially for antioxidant and antibacterial actions. However, there are limited scientific findings describing its antiphotoaging effects on the skin. In the present study, the underlying molecular mechanisms of the protective effect of Damiana were investigated in keratinocytes (HaCaTs) and normal human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) subject to UVB irradiation. The mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and procollagen type I was determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The protein expression of antiphotoaging-related signaling molecules in the activator protein-1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2)/antioxidant response element (ARE) pathways was assessed by Western blotting. We observed that Damiana blocked the upregulated production of reactive oxygen species induced in UVB-irradiated HaCaTs and HDFs in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment with Damiana also significantly ameliorated the mRNA expression of MMPs and procollagen type I. In addition, the phosphorylation level of c-Jun and c-Fos was also decreased through the attenuated expression of p-38, p-ERK, and p-JNK after treatment with Damiana. Furthermore, the treatment of cells with Damiana resulted in the inhibition of Smad-7 expression in the TGF-β/Smad pathway and upregulated the expression of the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway. Hence, the synthesis of procollagen type I, a precursor of collagen I, was promoted. Collectively, these results provide us with the novel insight that Damiana is a potential source of antiphotoaging compounds.

Rosa davurica is widely used to treat various kinds of diseases because of its high antioxidant, antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities. This use of plant-based materials as medicine is called phytomedicine and has been widely practiced since time immemorial. However, the pharmacological mechanism of R. davurica in skin photoaging is not yet fully understood. Therefore, this study was carried out to evaluate the recovery effects of R. davurica leaf extracts (RDE) in UVB-irradiated human skin keratinocytes (HaCaTs) and investigate whether RDE is a potential therapeutic agent against skin photoaging. The expression of aging-related markers including mitogen-activated protein kinases/activator protein 1 (MAPK/AP-1), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and nuclear factor E2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1 (Nrf2/HO-1) was evaluated using Western blot analysis. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) was also used by FACS in HaCaTs. Findings indicated that RDE is efficient in scavenging free radicals and dose-dependently reducing ROS generation. Furthermore, RDE notably decreased UVB-induced matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) expression through inhibition of MAPK/AP-1 and NF-κB signaling pathways as well as induced blocking of extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation in UVB-irradiated HaCaTs. In addition, RDE improved Nrf2/HO-1 signaling that increases oxidative defense capacity and enhances transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signaling activation to promote procollagen type I synthesis, relieving UVB-induced skin cell damage. In conclusion, the protective effects of RDE on skin cellular components suggest that it has a high biological potential for skin protection from UVB-induced skin photoaging and is a good candidate for drug and cosmetic application. Graphical abstract