Abstract
The skin is an important organ in the human body that protects the body from environmentally hazardous substances. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause inflammatory reactions and degradation of the extracellular matrix leading to skin aging and various cutaneous lesions. This study evaluated the potential of isoflavones isolated from Maclura tricuspidata fruit to prevent TNF-α-induced skin inflammation in normal human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). It focused on alpinumisoflavone (AIF) that suppressed the accumulation of ROS and nitric oxide (NO) in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)-treated HDFs. AIF inhibited the TNF-α-induced increase in matrix metalloproteinase-1, decreased procollagen I α1, and suppressed pro-inflammatory mediators and pro-inflammatory cytokines, including NO synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 that trigger inflammatory responses. AIF inhibited nuclear factor-κB and activating protein 1 mitogen-activated protein kinases that were increased by TNF-α stimulation. These results suggest that AIF may protect skin from aging and various cutaneous lesions.
Highlights
Skin is the primary protector of the human ectoderm system, is in direct contact with potentially harmful factors, and performs three major functions: skin sensation, control, and protection [1]
Because the activation of COX-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) plays an important role in nitric oxide (NO) production, we evaluated the effect of AIF on COX-2 and iNOS protein expression increased by tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) stimulation in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs)
The phosphorylation of p38 was reduced in the AIF-treated group to 2.41 ± 0.25-fold (25 μM, not significant) and 1.07 ± 0.16-fold (50 μM, p < 0.01). These results indicate that AIF may suppress AP-1 and NF-κB activation induced by TNF-α by suppressing the phosphorylation of MAPK
Summary
Skin is the primary protector of the human ectoderm system, is in direct contact with potentially harmful factors, and performs three major functions: skin sensation, control, and protection [1]. Intrinsic aging involves damage that occurs over time due to a decrease in skin cell activity caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced during the skin cells’ metabolism [2]. Extrinsic aging is induced by exposure to external environmental hazards, such as pollution, chemicals, smoking, and ultraviolet (UV) light [3]. Skin damage and aging result from its direct exposure to the external environment [1]. UV irradiation is considered to be an important factor in inducing various skin conditions, such as skin aging and inflammatory skin diseases [4,5]. It causes extensive inflammatory damage to the skin from the epidermis to the dermis [6] due to ROS production, leading to cumulative skin damage, such as sunburn, photoaging, and skin pigmentation [7]
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