Cryptotanshinone protects skin cells from ultraviolet radiation-induced photoaging via its antioxidant effect and by reducing mitochondrial dysfunction and inhibiting apoptosis

Abstract

The integrity of skin tissue structure and function plays an important role in maintaining skin rejuvenation. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the main environmental factor that causes skin aging through photodamage of the skin tissue. Cryptotanshinone (CTS), an active ingredient mianly derived from the Salvia plants of Lamiaceae, has many pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-tumor effects. In this study, we showed that CTS could ameliorate the photodamage induced by UV radiation in epidermal keratinocytes (HaCaT) and dermal fibroblasts (HFF-1) when applied to the cells before exposure to the radiation, effectively delaying the aging of the cells. CTS exerted its antiaging effect by reducing the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cells, attenuating DNA damage, activating the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway, and reduced mitochondrial dysfunction as well as inhibiting apoptosis. Further, CTS could promote mitochondrial biosynthesis in skin cells by activating the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/sirtuin-1 (SIRT1)/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ co-activator-1α (PGC-1α) signaling pathway. These findings demonstrated the protective effects of CTS against UV radiation-induced skin photoaging and provided a theoretical and experimental basis for the application of CTS as an anti-photodamage and anti-aging agent for the skin.

Photoprotective Effects of Epigallocatechin Gallate on Ultraviolet-Induced Zebrafish and Human Skin Fibroblasts Cells

“…The overexposure of normal skin to solar UVR may give rise to short-term reactions such as erythema and atypical pigmentation, and long-term responses increasing a risk factor of developing photoaging and skin disorders [ 20 ]. Chronological aging in human skin, like photoaging is a cumulative biological process, which leads to the evolutionary modification of structural and functional features [ 21 ]. UVR activates a complex biochemical signaling cascade involving oxidative stress and inflammatory response [ 22 ].…”

Protective Mechanisms of Polyphenol-Enriched Blueberry Preparation in Preventing Inflammation in the Skin against UVB-Induced Damage in an Animal Model

“…Excessive UVB radiation induces skin cells to undergo apoptosis, ultimately leading to skin inflammation [83].The NF-κB signaling pathway plays an essential role in the transcriptional regulation of various genes involved in cell growth, survival, proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion, migration, carcinogenesis, and inflammation [84]. Studies reported that UVB radiation activates NF-κB in BALB/c mouse skin at post-irradiation [28].…”

Induction of ferroptosis by natural products in non-small cell lung cancer: a comprehensive systematic review

“…Cryptotanshinone (CTN) is a diterpenoid monomer and a lipophilic component extracted from the dried roots and rhizomes of the traditional Chinese herb S. miltiorrhiza ( Li et al, 2021 ; Zhang et al, 2023 ). CTN has been proven to possess various biological activities, including antioxidant ( Guo et al, 2022 ), anti-tumor ( Dalil et al, 2022 ), antibacterial ( Zhong et al, 2021 ), and anti-inflammatory effects ( Wu et al, 2020 ). Li ( Popa et al, 2021 ) discovered that CTN effectively suppresses NSCLC cells invasion, proliferation and tumorigenesis.…”