Anti-Inflammatory Effect of ETAS®50 by Inhibiting Nuclear Factor-κB p65 Nuclear Import in Ultraviolet-B-Irradiated Normal Human Dermal Fibroblasts

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation induces proinflammatory responses in skin cells, including dermal fibroblasts, accelerating premature skin aging (photoaging). ETAS 50, a standardized extract from the Asparagus officinalis stem, is a novel and unique functional food that suppresses proinflammatory responses of hydrogen peroxide-stimulated skin fibroblasts and interleukin- (IL-) 1β-stimulated hepatocytes. To elucidate its antiphotoaging potencies, we examined whether ETAS 50 treatment after UV-B irradiation attenuates proinflammatory responses of normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs). UV-B-irradiated NHDFs showed reduced levels of the cytosolic inhibitor of nuclear factor-κB α (IκBα) protein and increased levels of nuclear p65 protein. The nuclear factor-κB nuclear translocation inhibitor JSH-23 abolished UV-B irradiation-induced IL-1β mRNA expression, indicating that p65 regulates transcriptional induction. ETAS 50 also markedly suppressed UV-B irradiation-induced increases in IL-1β mRNA levels. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that ETAS 50 retained p65 in the cytosol after UV-B irradiation. Western blotting also showed that ETAS 50 suppressed the UV-B irradiation-induced increases in nuclear p65 protein. Moreover, ETAS 50 clearly suppressed UV-B irradiation-induced distribution of importin-α protein levels in the nucleus without recovering cytosolic IκBα protein levels. These results suggest that ETAS 50 exerts anti-inflammatory effects on UV-B-irradiated NHDFs by suppressing the nuclear import machinery of p65. Therefore, ETAS 50 may prevent photoaging by suppressing UV irradiation-induced proinflammatory responses of dermal fibroblasts.