Pirfenidone Protects from UVB-Induced Photodamage in Hairless Mice
Yocasta Martinez-Alvarado,
Eduardo Amezcua-Galvez,
Judith Davila-Rodriguez,
Ana Sandoval-Rodriguez,
Marina Galicia-Moreno,
Mónica Almeida-López,
Silvia Lucano-Landeros,
Arturo Santos,
Hugo Christian Monroy-Ramirez,
Juan Armendariz-Borunda
Affiliations
Yocasta Martinez-Alvarado
Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias en Biología Molecular en Medicina, CUCS, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44340, Mexico
Eduardo Amezcua-Galvez
Department of Pathology, Civil Hospital of Guadalajara “Fray Antonio Alcalde”, Guadalajara 44280, Mexico
Judith Davila-Rodriguez
Department of Pathology, Civil Hospital of Guadalajara “Fray Antonio Alcalde”, Guadalajara 44280, Mexico
Ana Sandoval-Rodriguez
Department of Molecular Biology and Genomics, Institute of Molecular Biology in Medicine and Gene Therapy, CUCS, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44340, Mexico
Marina Galicia-Moreno
Department of Molecular Biology and Genomics, Institute of Molecular Biology in Medicine and Gene Therapy, CUCS, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44340, Mexico
Mónica Almeida-López
Department of Basic Psychology, CUCS, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44340, Mexico
Silvia Lucano-Landeros
Department of Molecular Biology and Genomics, Institute of Molecular Biology in Medicine and Gene Therapy, CUCS, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44340, Mexico
Arturo Santos
School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Zapopan 45138, Mexico
Hugo Christian Monroy-Ramirez
Department of Molecular Biology and Genomics, Institute of Molecular Biology in Medicine and Gene Therapy, CUCS, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44340, Mexico
Juan Armendariz-Borunda
Department of Molecular Biology and Genomics, Institute of Molecular Biology in Medicine and Gene Therapy, CUCS, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara 44340, Mexico
Background: Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is the main environmental factor that causes histological degenerative changes of the skin giving rise to a chronic process called photodamage. Non-melanoma skin cancer induced by UVB radiation is a result of a cascade of molecular events caused by DNA damage in epidermis cells, including persistent inflammation, oxidative stress, and suppression of T cell-mediated immunity. Retinoids such as tretinoin have been widely used in skin to treat photoaging and photodamage, though its secondary adverse effects have been recognized. Pirfenidone (PFD) has emerged as an antifibrogenic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent, and in this work its efficacy was evaluated in a model of UVB-induced photodamage. Methods: Epidermal, dermal, and inflammatory changes were measured by histomorphometric parameters. In addition, gene, and protein expression of key molecules in these processes were evaluated. Results: Our results revealed an anti-photodamage effect of topical PFD with absence of inflammatory skin lesions determined by dermoscopy. In addition, PFD reduced elastosis, improved organization, arrangement, and deposition of dermal collagens, downregulated several pro-inflammatory markers such as NF-kB, IL-1, IL-6 and TNFα, and decreased keratinocyte damage. Conclusion: Topical pirfenidone represents a promising agent for the treatment of cell photodamage in humans. Clinical trials need to be carried out to explore this premise.
