Ultraviolet (UV) B exposure is a prominent cause of skin aging and a contemporary subject of interest. The effects are progressing through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that alter cell signaling pathways related to inflammatory responses. The present study evaluates the protective effects of (7aR)-6-hydroxy-4,4,7a-trimethyl-6,7-dihydro-5H-1-benzofuran-2-one (HTT) isolated from the edible brown algae Sargassum horneri against UVB protective effects in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). HTT treatment dose-dependently suppressed intracellular ROS generation in HDFs with an IC50 of 62.43 ± 3.22 µM. HTT abated UVB-induced mitochondrial hyperpolarization and apoptotic body formation. Furthermore, UVB-induced activation of key nuclear factor (NF)-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling proteins were suppressed in HTT treated cells while downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β, 6, 8, 33 and tumor necrosis factor-α). Moreover, HTT treatment downregulated matrix metalloproteinase1, 2, 3, 8, 9 and 13 that was further confirmed by the inhibition of collagenase and elastase activity. The evidence implies that HTT delivers protective effects against premature skin aging caused by UVB exposure via suppressing inflammatory responses and degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Extensive research in this regard will raise perspectives for using HTT as an ingredient in UV protective ointments.
Keywords: (−)-loliolide; Sargassum horneri; dermal fibroblasts; matrix metalloproteinase; ultraviolet B.