Therapeutic Effect of Seawater Pearl Powder on UV-Induced Photoaging in Mouse Skin

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of seawater pearl powder (SPP) on ultraviolet (UV) irradiation-induced photoaging in mouse skin. The protein and trace elements in SPP were detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, atomic fluorescence spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The effect of SPP on treating skin damage resulting from UV-induced photoaging was observed by gross physical appearance and histopathological analysis. Oxidative stress and melanin synthesis were analyzed using biochemical method. Western blotting was applied to analyze the phosphorylation and expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), collagen I, and proteins involved in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways (p38, ERK, and JNK). The results show that SPP has a significant therapeutic effect on UV-induced photoaging of skin and improves and restores appearance and tissue structure of mouse skin. The major mechanism may be related to reduction of expression level of MMP-1 and enhancement of collagen I production via inhibition of MAPK signaling pathway after scavenging of excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the UV-induced photoaged skin of mice. Meanwhile, it may also be involved in reducing melanin content by inhibiting tyrosinase activity after scavenging excess ROS in the UV-induced photoaged skin of mice. Therefore, SPP could be a good substance to treat photoaging skin. Taking cost-effectiveness and efficacy into consideration, the optimal concentration of SPP for treating photoaging skin could be 100 mg/g.

Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein (HCP) Extracted from Pearls Antagonizes both ET-1 and α-MSH for Skin Whitening

“…As mentioned before, several studies on pearl powder and extracts have demonstrated their whitening effect [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. This is the first time the purified pearl extract HCP on MNT-1 human melanoma cells has been studied to observe the whitening effect.…”

“…At the same time, preventing skin hyperpigmentation and eliminating melanin formation is a time-consuming process that can cause psychological distress to consumers, and the use of whitening agents can help with this process. However, some of skin-whitening agents such as rhododendrol and hydroquinone cause significant side-effects such as leukoderma and erythema [ 16 , 17 ]. The development of safe and effective whitening agents is in line with market demand.…”

“…The main chemical composition of pearl is about 82–86% calcium carbonate, 10–14% protein, and 2–4% water. It has been demonstrated that soluble pearl extract can scavenge reactive oxygen, free radicals and inhibit the depigmenting activity of tyrosinase [ 17 , 19 ]. Jing Wang MD et al found anti-melanogenic effects of soluble pearl extract (SPE) in B16F10 melanoma cells [ 20 ].…”

Inhibitory Effect of Seawater Pearl Hydrolysate on UVA-Induced Photoaging of Human Skin Fibroblasts

“…Pearl extract can reduce the inflammation and apoptosis of human skin keratinocytes under UVB irradiation [14], and the aqueous extract of pearl can reduce the number of human skin fibroblasts that age under UVB irradiation [15]. Moreover, our group has carried out preliminary research and found that powdered seawater pearls can prevent and treat mouse skin photoaging, and its mechanism chiefly involves the removal of excessive ROS from photoaging skin [6,7].…”

“…In the early stage, the research group selected seawater pearls for hydrolysis and obtained a series of products such as seawater pearl hydrolysate (SPH), hydrolyzed seawater pearl powder, and Zhenmi tablets and successfully developed the hydrolyzed pearl technology (national invention patents zl95106283.2, zl95108034.2, and zl95107894.1). It has been found that seawater pearl powder can prevent and treat skin photoaging in mice, and its mechanism involves the removal of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) from photoaging skin [6,7]. erefore, we studied the effect of seawater pearls on skin photoaging at the cellular level using a UVA-induced photoaging model of HSF cells to detect the ROS, oxidative damage, antioxidant level, collagen, and level of aging before and after SPH intervention on HSF cells.…”