The use of naturally occurring botanicals with substantial antioxidant activity to prevent photoageing is receiving increasing attention. We have previously identified piceatannol and scirpusin B, which is a dimer of piceatannol, as strong antioxidants that are present in passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) seeds. In the present study, the effects of passion fruit seed extract, piceatannol, and scirpusin B on human keratinocytes were investigated. The passion fruit seed extract and piceatannol upregulated the glutathione (GSH) levels in keratinocytes in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that piceatannol is an active component of the passion fruit seed extract in keratinocytes. The pretreatment with piceatannol also supressed the UVB-induced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the keratinocytes. In addition, the transfer of the medium from the UVBirradiated keratinocytes to non-irradiated fibroblasts enhanced matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 activity, and this MMP-1 induction was reduced when the keratinocytes were pretreated with piceatannol. These results suggest that piceatannol attenuates the UVB-induced activity of MMP-1 along with a reduction of ROS generation in keratinocytes. Thus, piceatannol and passion fruit seed extract containing high amounts of piceatannol are potential anti-photoageing cosmetic ingredients.Key words piceatannol; passion fruit seed; keratinocyte; ultraviolet; reactive oxygen species; matrix-metalloproteinase Solar UV irradiation damages human skin causing it to age prematurely, a process referred to as photoageing, and to develop the characteristics of thickened epidermis and increased melanogenesis.1-3) In contrast, intrinsic (chronological) ageing is characterised by skin atrophy accompanied by a loss of elasticity and reduced metabolic activity. [4][5][6][7][8] A hallmark of photoageing is the disorganisation of collagen, the major structural component of the skin. Collagen is produced mainly by dermal fibroblasts and is degraded by the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that are secreted by various cells, including keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and inflammatory cells.2,8,9) UV irradiation, particularly UVB (290-320 nm) and UVA (315-400 nm), induces the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) in the fibroblasts, which is mainly responsible for the degradation of the dermal collagen in the ageing process of human skin. Therefore, UV-induced MMP-1 is considered to contribute substantially to the connective tissue damage that causes severe collagen deficiency and wrinkling during photoageing.2,8) Although keratinocytes do not produce MMP-1 in response to UVB irradiation, damaged epidermal keratinocytes indirectly play important roles in the release of MMP-1. It has been reported that the culture medium of UVB-irradiated keratinocytes stimulates MMP-1 release from fibroblasts more efficiently than the direct irradiation of the fibroblasts.
10,11)The primary mechanism by which UV irradiation initiates molecular responses in human skin is through the photochromic genera...