Inhibitory effect of bee venom against ultraviolet B induced MMP-1 and MMP-3 in human dermal fibroblasts

SummaryUltraviolet-B (UVB) irradiation induced the synthesis of matrix metalloproteinase–1 (MMP–1) and stromelysin–1 (MMP–3) in skin fibroblasts, causing skin photoaging and skin tumor progression. The effect of honey bee venom (HBV) collected from Apis mellifera on the expression of MMP–1 and MMP–3 in UVB irradiated human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) was investigated. After UVB irradiation, HBV markedly reduced UV-induced MMP–1 by 50–80% and MMP–3 protein levels by 50–85 % compared with that of UVB-irradiated controls. It also reduced MMP–1 and MMP–3 mRNA expression. Furthermore, HBV accelerated the recovery of the damaged of UVB-irradiated HDF. These results suggest that HBV is a photoprotective agent and could be used as a potential agent in preventing photoaging.