The effect of sativan from Viola verecunda A. GRAY on the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-1 cause by ultraviolet irradiated cultured primary human skin fibroblasts

Abstract

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of enzymes whose main function is degradation of the extracellular matrix. Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) degrades type I procollagen constituting the major structural component of the basement membrane and extra cellular membrane. The enzymatic activity is found to be elevated in photoaging. With the aim of finding novel MMP-1 inhibitors from natural products, 15 extracts of the Viola taxa, which are used as prescriptions for skin eruption treatment in traditional medicine, were screened for their inhibitory activities towards MMP-1. Among the 15 tested materials, the methanol extracts of Viola hondoensis W. BECKER et H. BOISS, Viola ibukiana MAKINO, Viola lactiflora NAKAI and Viola verecunda A. GRAY were potential inhibitory to MMP-1, and other Viola taxa showed a weak inhibitory effect at a concentration of 100 μg/ml. We investigated the effect of MMP-1 inhibitory of the solvent fractions of the same plants (Viola hondoensis, Viola ibukiana and Viola verecunda). Therefore, a strong inhibition was found in the ethylacetate fractions of Viola verecunda with inhibitory activity (>90%) at a concentration of 10 μg/ml. Here we investigated the effect of sativan isolated from the ethylacetate fractions of Viola verecunda on the expression of MMPs in UV-irradiated human skin fibroblasts in vitro. Sativan markedly reduced UV-induced MMP-1 expression at the protein levels in a dose-dependent manner. Our report is the first description for the ability of sativan to regulate UV-induced MMP-1 expression.