AUTHOR=Zhou Yali , Bai Renao , Huang Yifeng , Li Weina , Chen Jiana , Cheng Zhiyun , Wu Xunxun , Diao Yong 

TITLE=The anti-photoaging effect of C-phycocyanin on ultraviolet B-irradiated BALB/c-nu mouse skin

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1229387

DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2023.1229387

ISSN=2296-4185

ABSTRACT=C-phycocyanin (C-PC), a photosynthetic protein obtained from Spirulina, is regarded a highly promising commercially available biochemical. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have provided evidence of C-PC's ability to mitigate the inflammatory response, alleviate oxidative stress, and facilitate wound healing. However, despite the existing knowledge regarding C-PC's protective mechanism against cellular apoptosis induced by ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, further in vivo experiments are needed to explore its antiphotoaging mechanism. This study's objective was to establish a UV-induced skin photoaging model in BALB/c-nu mice and to investigate the potential protective effects of topical administration of C-PC. In addition, a novel delivery system, C-PC nanodispersion, was developed to facilitate the transdermal delivery of C-PC. C-PC demonstrated significant anti-photoaging activities in the UVB-induced skin. The application of C-PC to the dorsal skin of the mice resulted in improved macroscopic characteristics, such as reduced sagging and coarse wrinkling, under UVB irradiation Histological analyses showed that C-PC treatment significantly decreased the symptoms of epidermal thickening, prevented dermal collagen fiber loosening, increased the hydroxyproline (Hyp) content and activities of antioxidant enzymes (such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase) in mouse skin, decreased malondialdehyde levels and expressions of inflammatory factors (interleukin-1α [IL-1α], IL-β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α), reduced matrix metalloproteinase [MMP-3 and MMP-9] expressions, and inhibited the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and p38 proteins in the mitogen-activated protein kinase family. In conclusion, this study proposes a novel drug delivery system, C-PC nanodispersions, and investigated the anti-photoaging effect as well as mechanisms of C-PC, providing an experimental basis for the development of a C-PC transdermal drug delivery system that can be used to prevent UVB-induced photoaging of the skin.