Defensive Properties of Ginsenoside Re against UV-B-Induced Oxidative Stress through Up-Regulating Glutathione and Superoxide Dismutase in HaCaT Keratinocytes

Ginseng is now used worldwide as a traditional oriental medicine. ginsenosides, also known as ginseng saponins, are responsible for most pharmacological efficacies of ginseng. this work aimed to assess the novel skin anti-photoaging potential of ginsenoside re (re), a protopanaxatriol-type ginsenoside, by analyzing reactive oxygen species (ros), pro-matrix metalloproteinase-2 (prommp-2) and -9 (prommp-9), total glutathione (gsh), superoxide dismutase (sod), and cellular viability in uv-b-irradiated hacat keratinocytes. when hacat cells were pretreated with re prior to uv-b irradiation, re significantly suppressed the uvb-induced ros elevation. it was also able to attenuate the uv-b-induced prommp-2 and -9 elevations at both activity and protein levels. re was capable of overcoming the uv-b-reduced total gsh content and sod activity in concentration-dependent ways. under the experimental conditions used, re could interfere with cellular viabilities in neither non-irradiated nor uv-birradiated keratinocytes.