Ultraviolet Irradiation Induces the Accumulation of Chondroitin Sulfate, but Not Other Glycosaminoglycans, in Human Skin

Abstract

Ultraviolet (UV) light alters cutaneous structure and function. Prior work has shown loss of dermal hyaluronan after UV-irradiation of human skin, yet UV exposure increases total glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content in mouse models. To more fully describe UV-induced alterations to cutaneous GAG content, we subjected human volunteers to intermediate-term (5 doses/week for 4 weeks) or single-dose UV exposure. Total dermal uronyl-containing GAGs increased substantially with each of these regimens. We found that UV exposure substantially increased dermal content of chondroitin sulfate (CS), but not hyaluronan, heparan sulfate, or dermatan sulfate. UV induced the accumulation of both the 4-sulfated (C4S) and 6-sulfated (C6S) isoforms of CS, but in distinct distributions. Next, we examined several CS proteoglycan core proteins and found a significant accumulation of dermal and endothelial serglycin, but not of decorin or versican, after UV exposure. To examine regulation in vitro, we found that UVB in combination with IL-1α, a cytokine upregulated by UV radiation, induced serglycin mRNA in cultured dermal fibroblasts, but did not induce the chondroitin sulfate synthases. Overall, our data indicate that intermediate-term and single-dose UVB exposure induces specific GAGs and proteoglycan core proteins in human skin in vivo. These molecules have important biologic functions and contribute to the cutaneous response to UV.

Age-dependent alterations of decorin glycosaminoglycans in human skin

“…The protein expressions of these three proteoglycans in human skin in vivo were demonstrated by immunohistochemistry in this and previous studies2728. Among these three proteoglycans, transcripts of decorin and biglycan, which are SLRPs, are greater than versican, which is a large aggregated proteoglycan.…”

Glycosaminoglycan and proteoglycan in skin aging

“…1). Several studies reported that acute UV irradiation to human skin induced HS, CS, and several related PGs, including versican, perlecan, syndecan-1, syndecan-4, CD44, and serglycin [29,48,49]. However, in cultured fibroblasts, acute UV irradiation decreased the mRNA expression levels of many PGs and GAG-synthesizing enzymes [21].…”

Inflammasome Activation of IL‐1 Family Mediators in Response to Cutaneous Photodamage†

“…Indeed it has been shown that UVB radiation caused significant increases of HA in the basal layer of the epidermis(80). And in neonatal foreskin keratinocyte cultures, increased expression of hyaluronan synthase, in addition to IL-1β secretion, was induced by UVB irradiation (81).…”