It is widely accepted that ultraviolet (UV) irradiation induces skin damage. In the present study, a UVB-induced hairless mouse model of skin photoaging was developed to determine whether tyndalized Lactobacillus acidophilus was able to significantly enhance the repair of photodamaged skin. To evaluate the effects of tyndalized L. acidophilus on UVB-induced skin-wrinkle formation in vivo, HR-1 hairless male mice were exposed to UVB radiation and orally administered tyndalized L. acidophilus. Compared with the control group, the UVB irradiation mice displayed a significant increase in transepidermal water loss and a reduction in skin hydration. In mice with UVB-induced photodamage, the effacement of the fine wrinkles by tyndalized L. acidophilus was correlated with dermal collagen synthesis, accompanied by histological changes. Furthermore, western blotting was performed to investigate the protein expression levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and mitogen-activated protein kinase. Notably, orally administered tyndalized L. acidophilus reduced the expression levels of MMP-1 and MMP-9. Based upon the aforementioned results, it was determined that tyndalized L. acidophilus effectively inhibited the wrinkle formation induced by UVB irradiation, and that this may be attributed to the downregulation of MMPs. Therefore, tyndalized L. acidophilus may be considered a potential agent for preventing skin photoaging and wrinkle formation.
Keywords: anti-wrinkle; matrix metalloproteinases; mitogen-activated protein kinase; transepidermal water loss; tyndalized Lactobacillus acidophilus.