Skin exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation leads to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Excessive ROS cause aging of the skin via basement membrane/extracellular matrix degradation by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). We recently demonstrated that 3-bromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (BDB), a natural compound of red algae, had a photo-protective effect against UVB-induced oxidative stress in human keratinocytes. The present study focused on the effect of BDB on UVB-irradiated photo-aging in HaCaT keratinocytes and the underlying mechanism. BDB significantly impeded MMP-1 activation and expression, and abrogated the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and intracellular Ca2+ level in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells. Moreover, BDB decreased the expression levels of c-Fos and phospho-c-Jun and the binding of activator protein-1 to the MMP-1 promoter induced by UVB irradiation. These results offer evidence that BDB is potentially useful for the prevention of UVB-irradiated skin damage.
Keywords: 3-bromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzaldehyde; activator protein-1; matrix metalloproteinase-1; mitogen-activated protein kinases; ultraviolet B.