Lupeol may be useful as an anti-aging agent. - GreenMedInfo Summary

In this study, the aged dermal fibroblast model was constructed by repeated irradiation with UV light and the effect of lupeol, a triterpenoid, on anti-aging was confirmed. SA-β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) stained aged cells increased by about 40% and expression of p-p53, p21, p16 and MMPs (MMP-1, -2, -3) increased in aged fibroblast. As an efficacy result, the treatment of lupeol on aged fibroblast induced by UVA repeated irradiation showed a dose-dependent reduction of SA-β-gal stained aged cells, the expression of p-p53, p21, p16 and inhibition of MMPs. Interestingly, lupeol increased dephosphorylation of p-ERK in repeated UV irradiated conditions. Additionally, lupeol compensated MMPs expression when p-ERK phosphorylation was inhibited by p-ERK inhibitor PD98059. Thus, these results showed that lupeol has a possible effect on MMPs expression using inhibition of the p-ERK pathway. Taken together, we confirmed that lupeol inhibits senescence through inhibiting MMP-1, -2, -3 as well as p-p53, p21 and p16 expression and SA-β-gal activity in repeated UVA-irradiated senescent FB models, therefore suggesting that lupeol may be useful as an anti-aging agent.