Arctigenin protects against ultraviolet-A-induced damage to stemness through inhibition of the NF-κB/MAPK pathway

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 15, 2026

Assessment of Oxidative Damage in the Primary Mouse Ocular Surface Cells/Stem Cells in Response to Ultraviolet-C UV-C Damage
12:59

Assessment of Oxidative Damage in the Primary Mouse Ocular Surface Cells/Stem Cells in Response to Ultraviolet-C UV-C Damage

Published on: February 15, 2020

6.8K

See-Hyoung Park1, Jae Youl Cho2, Sae Woong Oh2

  • 1Department of Bio and Chemical Engineering, Hongik University, 300-16 Sejong City, Republic of Korea.

Chemico-Biological Interactions
|January 11, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Arctigenin protects human mesenchymal stem cells from UV damage, preserving their stemness and proliferative capacity. This natural compound upregulates key stemness genes and restores hypoxia-inducible factor-1α levels, offering a potential therapeutic strategy against UV-induced cellular damage.

Area of Science:

  • Stem Cell Biology
  • Dermatology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation negatively impacts stem cell stemness.
  • Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are crucial for tissue repair and regeneration.
  • Protecting hMSC stemness from environmental damage is vital for therapeutic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the protective effects of arctigenin against UVA-induced damage to hMSC stemness.
  • To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of arctigenin's action.

Main Methods:

  • BrdU-incorporation assay to assess cellular proliferation.
  • Quantitative analysis of stemness-related gene expression (SOX2, OCT4, NANOG).
  • Measurement of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α mRNA levels.
  • Investigation of signaling pathways involving PGE2, MAPKs, and NF-κB.

Main Results:

  • Arctigenin counteracted UVA-induced reduction in hMSC proliferative potential.
  • Arctigenin upregulated SOX2, OCT4, and NANOG, preserving stemness.
  • Arctigenin restored UVA-induced decrease in HIF-1α mRNA expression.
  • The protective effect involved reduced PGE2 production via inhibition of MAPKs and NF-κB.

Conclusions:

  • Arctigenin ameliorates UVA-induced stemness reduction in hMSCs.
  • The mechanism involves PGE2-cAMP signaling-dependent upregulation of HIF-1α.
  • Arctigenin shows potential as an antagonist against UVA irradiation effects.
Keywords:
ArctigeninHIFHuman mesenchymal stem cellsStemnessUVA damage

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