Environmental pollution caused by fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has become increasingly severe. PM2.5 easily penetrates the skin and causes oxidative damage and inflammatory skin diseases, resulting in skin cell death. In this study, we elucidated the protective effect of Vaccinium oldhamii ethanol extract (VOE) against PM2.5-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in human keratinocytes. The results showed that VOE reversed PM2.5-induced decrease in cell viability. VOE strongly inhibited the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by downregulating aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), thereby reducing lipid peroxidation. VOE attenuated PM2.5-induced upregulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling. In addition, VOE markedly reduced PM2.5-induced autophagy activation and apoptosis. Overall, VOE prevented PM2.5-induced apoptosis by inhibiting ROS generation and mitigating inflammation and autophagy activation. These results suggest the potential of VOE as an effective anti-pollution agent capable of preventing oxidative stress and inflammation caused by PM2.5.
Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-025-01983-z.
Keywords: Apoptosis; Autophagy; Keratinocyte; Particulate matter; Vaccinium oldhamii.
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