A New Approach for Skin-Derived Precursors to Ameliorate Skin Photodamage Through Activation of Nrf2 Signaling Pathway

Background: Skin photodamage exhibits poorly clinical efficacy and so far has rarely satisfactory treatments. Ultraviolet (UV)-induced overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) inactivation and Nrf2/antioxidant response elements (ARE) signaling pathway blockage play important roles in skin photodamage pathogenesis. Skin-derived precursor cells (SKPs), a population of dermal stem cells, are predominant over wound repair and skin regeneration. Objective: To hypothesize that SKPs are useful in skin photodamage by Nrf2 activation. Methods: Published papers on skin photodamage and SKPs were collected and reviewed. Besides, the findings from our preliminary experiment were reported in this article. Results: It has been confirmed that stem cells could participate in tissue repair via activating Nrf2 and Nrf2/ARE signal transduction pathway. Furthermore, our previous and current outcomes revealed that SKPs could ameliorate UVB-induced apoptosis or damage and significantly up-regulate Nrf2 expression after UV irradiation. Conclusion: Together the above data, we speculate that SKPs may be good candidates for control of skin photodamage through activating Nrf2 and its signaling pathway. These would provide a new approach for resisting skin photodamage.