Protection of Human Keratinocytes from UVB-Induced Inflammation Using Root Extract of Lithospermum erythrorhizon

Abstract

UVB irradiation is an important inducer of biological changes in skin and can activate inflammatory reactions and apoptotic pathways, leading to skin damage. A root extract of Lithospermum erythrorhizon (SK), which has naphthoquinone pigments containing shikonin and shikonin derivatives, is known for its anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-tumor activity, and for its scavenging of reactive oxygen species. However, the effect of SK against UV damage is not clear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of SK against UVB induced damage in normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK). UVB-irradiated NHEK showed decreased cell viability, increased production of interleukin (IL)-1alpha, IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and induced apoptosis. In an apoptosis pathway assay, UVB-irradiated NHEK showed increased caspase-3 activity, p53 and its phosphorylation at serine 15 compared with non-irradiated cells. All these effects induced by UVB irradiation were clearly inhibited by treatment with SK before and after UVB irradiation for 24 h. It is suggested that SK can protect epidermal cells against harmful effects of UVB irradiation and that SK treatment is probably beneficial for photoprotection of the skin.

Protective effect of Ecklonia cava on UVB-induced oxidative stress: in vitro and in vivo zebrafish model

“…Many antioxidants, including α-tocopherol, β-carotene, glutathione, and ascorbic acid, have been shown to exert protective effects against ROS-induced skin injury (Ramachandran and Rajendra 2008;Tomaino et al 2006). Studies concerning the effects of protection from UVB radiation have been conducted routinely with natural compounds collected from land plants, including pomegranate (Lisbeth et al 2008), black soybean (Konstantin et al 2008), red orange (Cimino et al 2008), red ginseng ), green tea (Schwarz et al 2008a), grape seeds (Carini et al 2000), and Lithospermum erythrorhizon (Ishida and Sakaguchi 2008). These substances have also been associated with antioxidant effects (Tomaino et al 2006;Afaq et al 2007).…”

Gromwell (Lithospermum erythrorhizon) Supplementation Enhances Epidermal Levels of Ceramides, Glucosylceramides, β-Glucocerebrosidase, and Acidic Sphingomyelinase in NC/Nga Mice

“…(LE), is a plant species of the Boraginaceae family native to east Asia that has been traditionally used to treat skin injuries such as burns and wounds. 1,2 The extracts of LE contain napthaquinones (shikonin derivatives), 3,4 lithospermans, 5 and caffeic acid oligomers such as lithospermic acids, 4 which are known to have various effects on skin, including UVB protection 6 and moisturization. 7 However, these reported beneficial effects of LE extracts have been mostly based on either in vitro studies or topical application, and only limited information is available for the systemic efficacy of LE, which is the way it is commonly used in traditional remedies.…”

The Efficacy of Shikonin on Cartilage Protection in a Mouse Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis

“…Shikonin (MW：288 Fig. 1), major active components of LE, possesses numerous pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory and anti- tumor properties and the ability to promote wound healing [16] and inhibits the transcriptional activation of human TNF-α in vivo [17]. However, little is known about the effect of shikonin in CIA.…”