Thioredoxin promotes the regeneration and binding of elastic fibre and basement membrane

Thioredoxin (TRX), a ubiquitous protein with strong antioxidant activity, decreases in the skin with age. A decrease in TRX is expected to induce cellular senescence, chronic inflammation, and degeneration and loss of extracellular matrix (ECM), such as collagen and elastin within the skin. In this study, we investigated the effects of TRX addition to excised skin or skin models to understand the role of TRX on cells and ECM within the skin.

To evaluate its effect on skin cells, we cultured a three-dimensional (3D) skin model in a medium containing TRX. The mRNA expression levels of proteins related to elastic and collagen fibres and the basement membrane were determined. Furthermore, 3D imaging and computational analysis were performed to evaluate the effect of TRX on the elastic fibres and extending COL VII structures in excised human skin after coculturing with TRX for 1, 4, 5 and 6 days.

Thioredoxin application to a 3D skin model upregulated elastin, COLI and COLVII mRNA expression. Applying TRX to the excised skin increased the number of linear elastic fibres. This effect of TRX demonstrated a daily increment in a dose-dependent manner. Thioredoxin extended the fibrous structure of COL VII into the dermis, expanding its colocalization region with elastic fibres. These structural effects were confirmed using 3D imaging and computational methods.

Thioredoxin elongates elastic fibres from the dermis to the basement membrane and extends the COL VII structure from the basement membrane to the dermis in excised human skin. These findings suggest the potential of TRX to protect the skin against age-related alterations such as wrinkles and sagging.