Protective Effect of Zeaxanthin from <i>Lycium barbarum</i> L. on Ultraviolet B-Induced Skin Photodamage in Mice Through Nrf2-Related Pathway
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a predominant cause of skin damage, with UVB leading to more severe harm compared to UVA. <i>Lycium barbarum</i> L. (<i>L. barbarum</i>) is known for its high carotenoid content and has shown great potential in mitigating UVB-induced skin damage....
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Antioxidants |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/14/6/632 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850156834475737088 |
|---|---|
| author | Lin Zhu Qiruonan Shen Yujuan Xu Chunmei Li |
| author_facet | Lin Zhu Qiruonan Shen Yujuan Xu Chunmei Li |
| author_sort | Lin Zhu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a predominant cause of skin damage, with UVB leading to more severe harm compared to UVA. <i>Lycium barbarum</i> L. (<i>L. barbarum</i>) is known for its high carotenoid content and has shown great potential in mitigating UVB-induced skin damage. This study investigated the protective effect and mechanism of zeaxanthin from <i>L. barbarum</i> on UVB-damaged skin in BALB/c mice. The results demonstrated that zeaxanthin effectively alleviated the UVB-injured appearance of mouse skin. Histological analyses revealed a reduction in epidermal thickness by 30% and 61% with low and high doses of zeaxanthin, respectively, compared to the model group. Zeaxanthin also inhibited the degeneration of elastic and collagen fibers. Further investigations indicated that the protective mechanism of zeaxanthin was not involved with inflammation suppression. Instead, it activated nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) to approximately 3 times the level of the model group, significantly promoting the expression of various antioxidant enzymes and enhancing the total antioxidant capacity of skin tissue, subsequently reducing oxidative stress. Zeaxanthin also downregulated the expression of matrix metalloproteinases, reducing collagen degradation by 35% compared to the model group, which led to improved skin tissue structure and protection against UVB-induced photodamage. These findings provided a theoretical basis for the advanced development and high-value utilization of carotenoids in <i>L. barbarum</i>. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8a9fb114043a408c8a5ac74fff2e5df9 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-3921 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Antioxidants |
| spelling | doaj-art-8a9fb114043a408c8a5ac74fff2e5df92025-08-20T02:24:22ZengMDPI AGAntioxidants2076-39212025-05-0114663210.3390/antiox14060632Protective Effect of Zeaxanthin from <i>Lycium barbarum</i> L. on Ultraviolet B-Induced Skin Photodamage in Mice Through Nrf2-Related PathwayLin Zhu0Qiruonan Shen1Yujuan Xu2Chunmei Li3College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaCollege of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaSericultural & Agri-Food Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Functional Products, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products Processing, Guangzhou 510610, ChinaCollege of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaUltraviolet (UV) radiation is a predominant cause of skin damage, with UVB leading to more severe harm compared to UVA. <i>Lycium barbarum</i> L. (<i>L. barbarum</i>) is known for its high carotenoid content and has shown great potential in mitigating UVB-induced skin damage. This study investigated the protective effect and mechanism of zeaxanthin from <i>L. barbarum</i> on UVB-damaged skin in BALB/c mice. The results demonstrated that zeaxanthin effectively alleviated the UVB-injured appearance of mouse skin. Histological analyses revealed a reduction in epidermal thickness by 30% and 61% with low and high doses of zeaxanthin, respectively, compared to the model group. Zeaxanthin also inhibited the degeneration of elastic and collagen fibers. Further investigations indicated that the protective mechanism of zeaxanthin was not involved with inflammation suppression. Instead, it activated nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) to approximately 3 times the level of the model group, significantly promoting the expression of various antioxidant enzymes and enhancing the total antioxidant capacity of skin tissue, subsequently reducing oxidative stress. Zeaxanthin also downregulated the expression of matrix metalloproteinases, reducing collagen degradation by 35% compared to the model group, which led to improved skin tissue structure and protection against UVB-induced photodamage. These findings provided a theoretical basis for the advanced development and high-value utilization of carotenoids in <i>L. barbarum</i>.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/14/6/632UVBskin<i>Lycium barbarum</i> L.zeaxanthinappearancematrix metalloproteinases |
| spellingShingle | Lin Zhu Qiruonan Shen Yujuan Xu Chunmei Li Protective Effect of Zeaxanthin from <i>Lycium barbarum</i> L. on Ultraviolet B-Induced Skin Photodamage in Mice Through Nrf2-Related Pathway Antioxidants UVB skin <i>Lycium barbarum</i> L. zeaxanthin appearance matrix metalloproteinases |
| title | Protective Effect of Zeaxanthin from <i>Lycium barbarum</i> L. on Ultraviolet B-Induced Skin Photodamage in Mice Through Nrf2-Related Pathway |
| title_full | Protective Effect of Zeaxanthin from <i>Lycium barbarum</i> L. on Ultraviolet B-Induced Skin Photodamage in Mice Through Nrf2-Related Pathway |
| title_fullStr | Protective Effect of Zeaxanthin from <i>Lycium barbarum</i> L. on Ultraviolet B-Induced Skin Photodamage in Mice Through Nrf2-Related Pathway |
| title_full_unstemmed | Protective Effect of Zeaxanthin from <i>Lycium barbarum</i> L. on Ultraviolet B-Induced Skin Photodamage in Mice Through Nrf2-Related Pathway |
| title_short | Protective Effect of Zeaxanthin from <i>Lycium barbarum</i> L. on Ultraviolet B-Induced Skin Photodamage in Mice Through Nrf2-Related Pathway |
| title_sort | protective effect of zeaxanthin from i lycium barbarum i l on ultraviolet b induced skin photodamage in mice through nrf2 related pathway |
| topic | UVB skin <i>Lycium barbarum</i> L. zeaxanthin appearance matrix metalloproteinases |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/14/6/632 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT linzhu protectiveeffectofzeaxanthinfromilyciumbarbarumilonultravioletbinducedskinphotodamageinmicethroughnrf2relatedpathway AT qiruonanshen protectiveeffectofzeaxanthinfromilyciumbarbarumilonultravioletbinducedskinphotodamageinmicethroughnrf2relatedpathway AT yujuanxu protectiveeffectofzeaxanthinfromilyciumbarbarumilonultravioletbinducedskinphotodamageinmicethroughnrf2relatedpathway AT chunmeili protectiveeffectofzeaxanthinfromilyciumbarbarumilonultravioletbinducedskinphotodamageinmicethroughnrf2relatedpathway |