Cited by 52Skin Protection and AgingHeme Oxygenase-1 and Carbon MonoxideGenomics, phytochemicals, and oxidative stress

Phycocyanin Protects Against UVB-induced Apoptosis Through the PKC α/βII-Nrf-2/HO-1 Dependent Pathway in Human Primary Skin Cells

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Kim, Ki Mo, Lee, Joo Young, Im, A-Rang, Chae, Sungwook·2018·Molecules

Abstract

Phycocyanin (Pc) is one of the active pigment constituents of Spirulina microalgae. It has been used for its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the protective effects of Pc against ultraviolet-B (UVB)-induced primary skin cells damage are still undefined. In the present study, we investigated whether Pc prevented UVB-induced apoptotic cell death in human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) and human epidermal keratinocytes (HEK). Pc induced the transcription of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). Furthermore, Pc treatments resulted in a marked increase in nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2 (NF-E2)-like 2 (Nrf-2) nuclear translocation. Also, Pc protected UVB induced apoptosis and reduced the p53 and Bax levels, as well as caspase-3 activation. Pc treatment showed a significantly enhanced effect on the phosphorylation of protein kinase C (PKC) α/β II, but not that of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) or Akt. Induction of HO-1 induced by Pc was suppressed by Go6976, a selective inhibitor of PKC α/β II. In addition, knockdown of HO-1 by small interfering (siRNA) caused a significant increase in poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) cleavage and caspase-3 activation after Pc pretreatment. Taken together, our results demonstrate that Pc-induced expression of HO-1 is mediated by the PKC α/β II-Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway, and inhibits UVB-induced apoptotic cell death in primary skin cells.

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  • Spirulina is a rich source of PCB, an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase, which is implied to be a contributor to oxidative stress in a variety of neurological/neurodegenerative diseases.

    “It is a rich source of PCB, an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase, which is implied to be a contributor to oxidative stress in a variety of neurological/neurodegenerative diseases [38].”

    From Beneficial Effects of Spirulina Consumption on Brain Health (2022) · cites this paper as [38]

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Authors
Kim, K. M., Lee, J. Y., Im, A.-R., & Chae, S.
Affiliations
  • Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KR)
  • Korea University of Science and Technology (KR)
Corresponding author
Chae, Sungwook
Venue
Molecules
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2018-02-22
Volume
23
Issue
2
Pages
478
ISSN
1420-3049 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2792023500
Cited by
52
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2017: 1
FWCI
1.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Molecules (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (K17300)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Skin Protection and Aging
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Heme Oxygenase-1 and Carbon Monoxide
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics, phytochemicals, and oxidative stress
Keywords
phycocyanin, UVB-induced apoptosis, Nrf2, heme oxygenase-1, dermal fibroblasts, epidermal keratinocytes, caspase-3 activation, p53, Bax, PARP-1 cleavage, photoprotection, microalgae
MeSH terms
Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1, Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Gene Expression Regulation, Humans, Inflammation, Phycocyanin, Ultraviolet Rays, Keratinocytes, Apoptosis, NF-E2-Related Factor 2, Heme Oxygenase-1, Protein Kinase C-alpha, Caspase 3, Spirulina

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