UV irradiation, particularly that of UVB (290-320 nm), causes various adverse effects to human skin, the most serious being skin cancer and premature skin aging (photoaging). [1][2][3] The functional properties of skin depend on the integrity of collagens, which are the most abundant structural proteins in dermis. 4) Type 1 collagen, which accounts for 70-90% of all collagen, is synthesized by fibroblasts as a soluble precursor, type 1 procollagen, secreted and proteolytically processed to form insoluble collagen fibers in the dermis. 5,6) The production and fibrillar organization of collagen in the skin are reduced by UV irradiation whereas gene expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is increased. 7) Among MMPs, MMP-1 is the most responsible for the degradation of type 1 collagen in the skin. [8][9][10] Collagen degradation and inhibition of collagen production impair the structural integrity of the skin during photoaging. Therefore, control of collagen metabolism may be useful for a variety of therapeutic and cosmetic applications.Recently, a variety of herbs and plants have traditionally been used in cosmetic applications for the treatment of collagen synthesis and collagenase inhibition. [11][12][13][14][15] It has been widely reported that natural compounds from plants are potential sources of MMP inhibitors, which may prevent or mitigated UV-induced skin aging. [16][17][18] Stewartia koreana (Theaceae), a deciduous tree, is native to Korea and grows throughout the whole area of Korea. It prefers a partly shaded to full sun area, and favors a rich, moist, well-drained, and acidic loam. The leaves are dark green, elliptical, and mildly serrulate, and alternately arranged on stem. In autumn, the leaves turn a bright red to reddish purple. Usually in July, white solitary flowers bloom with 5-6 petals and yellow stamens. The flowers open wider with a more flattened look than most other species of Stewartia. The fruits ripen as an inconspicuous pentagon-shaped one in October.The bark is well exfoliated, ranging in color from soft grays and tans to orange and reddish browns. 19) We previously reported that Stewarita koreana extract induced angiogenesis and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling in a mouse model. It has also been reported that alcohol extracts from Stewartia koreana stimulate vasculization in vivo 20) but there is no report for the individual components of the plant. In addition, our preliminary experiments showed that the alcohol extracts were very effective in restoring wounds on punched skin of the back of mice. Therefore, this study was initiated to determine the principal components that manifest the biological activity. We isolated a number of compounds from Stewarita koreana extract. In the present study, we identified an active compound, 3-O-b-D-glucopyranosylspinasterol (spinasterol-Glc), and investigated its effect on the levels of collagen and on the expression of MMP-1 in UVB-treated fibroblast cells. We found that spinasterol-Glc inhibits collagen degradation in UVB-induced fib...