말채나무는 한국의 민간요법으로 사용되던 약재이다. 자외선은 피부의 광손상을 일으키는 것으로 알려져 있다. 본 연구에서는 자외선에 의한 손상된 세포를 회복시키기 위해서 효소처리 된 말채나무잎추출물(CWE)을 사용하였다. 섬유아세포에 UVB를 조사한 후, CWE를 처리하여 세포의 회복을 조사하였다. UVB를 조사한 섬유아세포에는 caspase-3 활성, phospho-p53, γH2AX, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) formation, 그리고 DNA fragmentation이 증가하게 된다. 그러나 CWE를 UVB가 조사된 섬유아세포에 12 h 처리하였을 때 caspase-3 활성, phospho-p53, γH2AX, CPDs formation, 그리고 DNA fragmentation이 감소하였다. 또한 CWE은 인체첩포시험을 통해 인체피부에 자극을 유발하지 않음을 확인하였다. 이러한 결과를 종합할 때 CWE는 자외선에 대한 광보호 효과가 있는 원료로서 가능성을 가지고 있다고 판단된다.
Cornus walteri Wanger has been used in folk medicine in Korea. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation has been known as a major cause of photo damage in skin. In the present study, research on how to cure damaged cells by UVB was conducted using an extract of Cornus walteri Wanger leaves (CWE), which was treated with an enzyme. CWE was applied to human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) affected by UVB. UVB-irradiated HS68 cells showed increased caspase-3 activity, phosphorylation of p53, γH2AX, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) formation, and DNA fragmentation compared with non-irradiated cells. However, all these effects were inhibited by treatment with CWE for 12 h after UVB irradiation. Furthermore, CWE has proved not to cause primary skin irritation through the human patch test. Collectively, these results suggest that CWE could be a new potential candidate as photoprotective agent against UVB-induced cellular damage in HDFs.