Cloves Regulate Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase to Exert Antioxidant Effect and Inhibit UVB Light-Induced Skin Damage in Mice

The purpose of this study was to observe the effect of cloves (Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.M. Perry) on the mouse skin using a UVB-induced skin injury mouse model. The serum, liver, and skin indexes of mice were determined by kits, H&E tissue staining, and qPCR assay. The compound composition of cloves was determined by HPLC. The results showed that cloves increased the activity of Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase in the skin and then maintained the sodium and potassium pump in the damaged skin muscle membrane. Cloves alleviated the oxidative stress injury induced by UVB irradiation by normalizing the related oxidative stress indexes (T-SOD, CAT, AGEs, and H₂O₂) in serum and skin. Inhibition of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 and increased activation of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 occurred after treatment with cloves, which ultimately reduced the inflammatory damage to the body. Further results showed that cloves upregulate SOD1, SOD2, CAT, GSH, IL-10, IκB-α, AMPK, SIRT1, LKB1, PGC-1α, APPL1, and FoxO1 and downregulate NF-κB p65, TNF-α, IL-6, and mTOR mRNA expression in the skin tissues of UVB-damaged mice. The results of composition analysis showed that the five most abundant compounds in cloves are rutin, isoquercitrin, ferulic acid, dihydroquercetin, and quercitrin. Cloves regulate the skin sarcomembrane Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase through these five compounds, and because they regulate the oxidation, inflammation, and ATP energy consumption of the body, they subsequently protect the skin from UVB damage.