Biomaterial Database

Worenine Prevents Solar Ultraviolet-Induced Sunburn by Inhibiting JNK2. 2022

Juanjuan Xiao, and Hui Lu, and Tengfei Ma, and Xiaofang Ni, and Teding Chang, and Man Liu, and Nijie Li, and Peijiang Lu, and Changshu Ke, and Qin Tian, and Ling Zou, and Fei Wang, and Wei Wang, and Lu Zhang, and Ping Yuan, and Lin Liu, and Jianmin Zhang, and Fei Shi, and Qiuhong Duan, and Feng Zhu

Cancer Research Institute, The Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China.

Excessive solar ultraviolet (SUV) radiation often causes dermatitis, photoaging, and even skin cancer. In the pathological processes of SUV-induced sunburn, JNK is activated by phosphorylation, and it in turn phosphorylates its downstream transcription factors, such as ATF2 and c-jun. The transcription factors further regulate the expression of pro-inflammatory genes, such as IL-6 and TNF-α, which ultimately leads to dermatitis. Therefore, inhibiting JNK may be a strategy to prevent dermatitis. In this study, we screened for worenine as a potential drug candidate for inhibiting sunburn. We determined that worenine inhibited the JNK-ATF2/c-jun signaling pathway and the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α in cell culture and in vivo, confirming the role of worenine in inhibiting sunburn. Furthermore, we determined that worenine bound and inhibited JNK2 activity in vitro through the MST, kinase, and in vitro kinase assays. Therefore, worenine might be a promising drug candidate for the prevention and treatment of SUV-induced sunburn.