Dietary Milk Sphingomyelin Prevents Disruption of Skin Barrier Function in Hairless Mice after UV-B Irradiation

PLoS One. 2015 Aug 24;10(8):e0136377. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136377. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Exposure to ultraviolet-B (UV-B) irradiation causes skin barrier defects. Based on earlier findings that milk phospholipids containing high amounts of sphingomyelin (SM) improved the water content of the stratum corneum (SC) in normal mice, here we investigated the effects of dietary milk SM on skin barrier defects induced by a single dose of UV-B irradiation in hairless mice. Nine week old hairless mice were orally administrated SM (146 mg/kg BW/day) for a total of ten days. After seven days of SM administration, the dorsal skin was exposed to a single dose of UV-B (20 mJ/cm2). Administration of SM significantly suppressed an increase in transepidermal water loss and a decrease in SC water content induced by UV-B irradiation. SM supplementation significantly maintained covalently-bound ω-hydroxy ceramide levels and down-regulated mRNA levels of acute inflammation-associated genes, including thymic stromal lymphopoietin, interleukin-1 beta, and interleukin-6. Furthermore, significantly higher levels of loricrin and transglutaminase-3 mRNA were observed in the SM group. Our study shows for the first time that dietary SM modulates epidermal structures, and can help prevent disruption of skin barrier function after UV-B irradiation.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Hairless
  • Milk Proteins / administration & dosage*
  • Skin / drug effects*
  • Skin / radiation effects
  • Skin Abnormalities / diet therapy*
  • Skin Abnormalities / pathology
  • Sphingomyelins / administration & dosage*
  • Ultraviolet Rays / adverse effects
  • Water / metabolism

Substances

  • Milk Proteins
  • Sphingomyelins
  • Water

Grants and funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work. Meiji Co., Ltd. provided support in the form of salaries for authors CO, MM, SI, KI, KK, TY YA, and HI, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.