Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2023 February, 259(3)

Handelin Reduces Ultraviolet A-Induced Photoaging by Inhibiting Reactive Oxygen Species Generation and Enhancing Autophagy

Yi Duan,¹ Yang Xiang,² Jimin Chu,¹ Xianghong Lin,¹ Miao He,³ Chenggui Zhang,³ Sujiao Sun⁴ and Ling Huang⁵

¹Clinical Medical College, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
²Key Laboratory of Human Aging in Jiangxi Province, Human Aging Research Institute, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
³College of Pharmacy and Chemistry, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
⁴Medical Cosmetology Teaching and Research Section, Dali University School of Clinical Medicine, Dali, Yunnan, China
⁵Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China

Photoaging is mainly caused by the exposure of the skin to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Among them, damage to human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells caused by ultraviolet A (UVA) is the main cause of skin aging. Researchers have dedicated to identifying natural compounds from plants to fight against UV radiation-induced photoaging. We previously found that extracts from wild chrysanthemum could prevent acute damage and photoaging induced by UV irradiation. As one of the most abundant ingredients in wild chrysanthemum extract, handelin was hypothesized to have the potential to prevent UVA-induced photoaging of skin fibroblast. In the present study, we report the great potential of handelin in combating UVA-induced photoaging of fibroblasts. We firstly demonstrated that handelin was safe for skin fibroblast as high as a concentration of 0.0125 μM, showing no toxicity on the cells and improved cell viability. Furthermore, handelin can reduce UVA-induced cellular senescence, indicated by a reduced proportion of senescence-associated beta-galactose positive cells and the expression of P21. We then verified that handelin pretreatment markedly attenuated the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation after UVA irradiation. Meanwhile, we found that handelin enhances autophagy after UVA irradiation, and autophagy is involved in the quality control of intracellular proteins after UV-induced damage (partially indirectly via ROS). Therefore, these results suggest that handelin has a very high potential as an effective ingredient against UVA-induced skin aging. Moreover, this provides an important basis for further research on the photoprotective mechanism of handelin.

Keywords —— handelin; human dermal fibroblast cell; photoaging; ultraviolet A

© 2023 Tohoku University Medical Press

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Tohoku J. Exp. Med 2023, 259, 189-198.

Correspondence: Sujiao Sun, Medical Cosmetology Teaching and Research Section, Dali University School of Clinical Medicine, Jiashibo Road 32, Dali, Yunnan 671000, China.

e-mail: sunsujiaode@163.com

Correspondence: Ling Huang, Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dali University, No. 32, Jiashibo Road, Dali, Yunnan 671000, China.

e-mail: huanglingx@126.com