2021 Volume 45 Issue 1 Pages 1-8
Recent epidemiological studies have demonstrated that air pollution is one of the risk factors for developing skin aging, which is characterized by pigmented spots such as solar lentigos, wrinkles and sagging. Therefore, daily skin care is an important treatment to alleviate the adverse effects of air pollutants on the skin. In this study, we investigated the effects of Phellodendron amurense Bark Extract (PABE) on oxidative stress and the secretion of an inflammatory cytokine by HaCaT keratinocytes treated with diesel exhaust particles (DEP), SRM1975, a model of air pollutants. In general, air pollutants induce a detoxifying enzyme, CYP1A1, and increase oxidative stress through the activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Treatment with PABE significantly suppressed levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the secretion of IL-8 by HaCaT keratinocytes treated with DEP without affecting the mRNA expression level of CYP1A1. Furthermore, treatment with PABE significantly suppressed the matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) activity of normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) cultured with the conditioned medium of DEP-treated HaCaT keratinocytes. Treatment with PABE increased the mRNA expression levels of γ-GCS and NQO1 due to increased levels of Nrf2. Based on these results, we conclude that PABE alleviates the progression of skin aging due to the removal of oxidative stress without affecting the metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In conclusion, PABE is expected to be an effective cosmetic ingredient that prevents the acceleration of skin aging by air pollutants.
