Horse Oil Mitigates Oxidative Damage to Human HaCaT Keratinocytes Caused by Ultraviolet B Irradiation.

Mei Piao,Hee Kang,Bong Kim,Jin Hyun,Young Koh,Ao Zhen,Kyoung Kang

doi:10.3390/ijms20061490

Mei Piao, Hee Kang + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20061490

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Abstract

Horse oil products have been used in skin care for a long time in traditional medicine, but the biological effects of horse oil on the skin remain unclear. This study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of horse oil on ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced oxidative stress in human HaCaT keratinocytes. Horse oil significantly reduced UVB-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species and intracellular oxidative damage to lipids, proteins, and DNA. Horse oil absorbed light in the UVB range of the electromagnetic spectrum and suppressed the generation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, a photoproduct of UVB irradiation. Western blotting showed that horse oil increased the UVB-induced Bcl-2/Bax ratio, inhibited mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and matrix metalloproteinase expression, and altered mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling-related proteins. These effects were conferred by increased phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and decreased phosphorylation of p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1/2. Additionally, horse oil reduced UVB-induced binding of activator protein 1 to the matrix metalloproteinase-1 promoter site. These results indicate that horse oil protects human HaCaT keratinocytes from UVB-induced oxidative stress by absorbing UVB radiation and removing reactive oxygen species, thereby protecting cells from structural damage and preventing cell death and aging. In conclusion, horse oil is a potential skin protectant against skin damage involving oxidative stress.

Highlights

In many Asian countries including Korea, horse oil has long been used as a folk medicine
We suggest that its protective effect is mainly caused by the antioxidant action of horse oil and the resulting changes in cell signaling processes
We demonstrated that horse oil scavenges DPPH free radicals in cell-free systems and scavenges H2O2 and ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) (Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

In many Asian countries including Korea, horse oil has long been used as a folk medicine. Recent studies have shown that oleic acid has anti-oxidative [2,3,4] and anti-inflammatory effects [5] as well as inhibits matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) [6]. Both ultraviolet (UV) A and UVB reach the surface of the earth and penetrate the skin, inducing the production of a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby disrupting the redox balance in the organism to induce oxidative stress [7,8]. UV-generated ROS have been shown to stimulate the MAPK signaling pathway and transcription factor activator protein 1 (AP-1), leading to upregulation of MMP expression [22]

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