Oral Administration of Mixed Probiotics Improves Photoaging by Modulating the Cecal Microbiome and MAPK Pathway in UVB-Irradiated Hairless Mice.

Abstract

Continuous ultraviolet (UV) exposure causes skin photoaging, wrinkle formation, and skin barrier damage. In this study, the protective effect of mixed probiotics (MP) against photoaging in UVB-irradiated Hs68 fibroblasts and SKH-1 hairless mice was investigated. The mice were irradiated with UVB for eight weeks to induce photoaging, and MP (15 and 50mg/day) was orally administered once a day. Skin parameters were measured in the dorsal skin and wrinkle formation factors were analyzed in skin replicas. To evaluate the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, western blotting and qRT-PCR were performed. MP (50mg/day) significantly improved skin moisture, transepidermal water loss, erythema, and skin thickness. MP also effectively suppressed wrinkle formation by regulating the transcriptional expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of MMPs. MP also reduced inflammatory cytokine levels and phosphorylation of extracellular signaling regulatory kinase, Jun N-terminal kinase, and p38 protein. Furthermore, the intestinal microbiome of the MP groups was significantly different compared with that of the UVB group, and the relative abundance of Lactobacillus and Akkermansia was significantly increased. Collectively, these findings suggest that MP modulates the gut microbiome and ameliorates UVB-induced photoaging by downregulating the MAPK pathway. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.