Antioxidant and Antimelanogenic Activities of Lactobacillus kunkeei NCHBL-003 Isolated from Honeybees

• Published in: Microorganisms (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 188
• Main Authors: Lee, Yeon-Ji, Choi, Joo-Hee, Kang, Kyung-Ku, Sung, Soo-Eun, Lee, Sijoon, Sung, Minkyoung, Seo, Min-Soo, Park, Jong-Hwan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 17-01-2024; MDPI
• Subjects: antimelanogenic; antioxidant; Antioxidants; Bacteria; Bees; Cell culture; Cell cycle; Cell migration; Cosmetics; Fluorescein diacetate; Gram-positive bacteria; Heme oxygenase (decyclizing); honeybee microbiome; Hydrogen peroxide; Kinases; Lactic acid; Lactic acid bacteria; Lactobacillus; Lactobacillus kunkeei NCHBL-003; MAP kinase; Medical research; Melanin; Oxidative stress; Oxygen; Pharmacology; Phosphorylation; postbiotic supernatants; Proteins; Reactive oxygen species; Signal transduction; Silicones; Skin; Synthesis; Wound healing; United States > US; South Korea; Germany; Lactobacillus kunkeei NCHBL-003; antimelanogenic; antioxidant; honeybee microbiome; postbiotic supernatants
• ISSN: 2076-2607; 2076-2607
• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12010188

Excessive reactive oxygen species production can detrimentally impact skin cell physiology, resulting in cell growth arrest, melanogenesis, and aging. Recent clinical studies have found that lactic acid bacteria have a special effect directly or indirectly on skin organs, but the exact mechanism has not been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the antioxidant protective effect and the inhibitory effect on melanin synthesis of
culture supernatant (CSK), isolated from
Linnaeus (the Western honeybee). CSK exhibited notable efficacy in promoting cell migration and wound healing under oxidative stress, surpassing the performance of other strains. CSK pretreatment significantly upregulated the expression of Nrf2/HO-1 (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1), a key player in cellular defenses against oxidative stress, relative to the control H
O
-treated cells. The DCF-DA (dichloro-dihydro-fluorescein diacetate) assay results confirmed that CSK's ability to enhance Nrf2 and HO-1 expression aligns with its robust ability to remove H
O
-induced reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, CSK upregulated MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) phosphorylation, an upstream signal for HO-1 expression, and MAPK inhibitors compromised the wound-healing effect of CSK. Additionally, CSK exhibited inhibitory effects on melanin synthesis, downregulating melanogenesis-related genes in B16F10 cells. Thus, the present study demonstrated that CSK exhibited antioxidant effects by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway through MAPK phosphorylation, thereby restoring cell migration and demonstrating inhibitory effects on melanin production. These findings emphasize the antioxidant and antimelanogenic potential of CSK, suggesting its potential use as a therapeutic agent, promoting wound healing, and as an active ingredient in skin-lightening cosmetics.