Orobanche, also known as broomrape, is a genus that contains over 200 species of parasitic herbaceous plants. Some of them have been used as Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. However, no studies reported the protective effects of th...
Orobanche, also known as broomrape, is a genus that contains over 200 species of parasitic herbaceous plants. Some of them have been used as Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. However, no studies reported the protective effects of the species of the genus Orobanche on UV-induced photodamage.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of eight Orobanche species including O. aepyptiaca, O. amoena, O. cernua, O. clarkei, O. coerulescens, O. megalantha, O. pycnostachya and O. yunnanensis, as well as their active components such as crenatoside, acteoside, isoacteoside and 2’-acetylacteoside on UVB-induced photodamage with the aim of developing novel application in cosmetics and foods industry.
The photoprotective effect of Orobanche species were investigated using UVB-irradiated HaCaTs. The MMP-1 and procollagen type I mRNA were examined by RT-PCR. The secretion of MMP-1 and TARC were detected by ELISA kits. The DNA damage and cell apoptosis were measured by comet assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The related signaling pathway was carried out using western bloting.
The results indicated that four species (O. cernua, O. coerulescens, O. pycnostachya and O. yunnanensis) effectively prevented UVB-induced photoaging by reduction of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (MMP-1), ROS expression and stimulation of procollagen synthesis. Additionally, O. pycnostachya and O. yunnanensis species were found to alleviate UVB-induced DNA damage and cell apoptosis. Thymus and activation regulated chemokine (TARC/CCL17) is produced in response to pro-inflammatory cytokines, which is implicated in the development of skin inflammatory diseases such as atopic dermatitis. In this study, UVB radiation was found to significantly stimulate TARC secretion, but this secretion could be inhibited by O. pycnostachya and O. yunnanensis post-treatment. Overall, O. pycnostachya and O. yunnanensis were the most effective species against UVB-induced photodamage. In depth examination indicated that the photoprotection mechanisms of O. pycnostachya and O. yunnanensis were involved in regulation of MAPK/AP-1, NF-κβ, TGF-β/Smad and Nrf2 signaling pathways.
The active components of Orobanche species were analyzed by HPLC method. Crenatoside, acteoside, isoacteoside and 2’-acetylacteoside were detected from Orobanche species. Consistent with the results of Orobanche species, acteoside, isoacteoside and 2’-acetylacteoside was also found to decrease UVB-induced MMP-1 expression and stimulate type I procollagen synthesis through inhibition of MAPK/AP-1 and activation of TGF-β/Smad pathway. By comparing the data, acteoside and 2’-acetylacteoside have higher efficiency than isoacteoside on regulation of signal cascades mentioned above. Moreover, acteoside and 2’-acetylacteoside significantly inhibited UVB-activated NF-κβ and promoted Nrf2 antioxidant defense system, which suggested that acteoside and 2’-acetylacteoside might be the major active ingredients contributed to the photoprotective effects of Orobanche species.
In conclusion, the species of the genus Orobanche, especially O. pycnostachya and O. yunnanensis, have great potential in alleviating UVB-induced photodamage. The acteoside and 2’-acetylacteoside, as main active components from Orobanche species, were more effective than crenatoside and isoacteoside in regulation photodamage. The Orobanche species and their active ingredients might be promising agents against UV radiation induced skin damage, which might provide a new strategy for improvement skin photodamage.