Abstract

Pearls have skin whitening and antioxidant properties, but their effects on skin barrier are less understood. This study investigated the reparative effects of saccharomyces/pearl ferment lysate filtrate (PFL) on UVB-induced skin barrier damage. In HaCaT cells, PFL restored proteins related to epidermal differentiation, tight junctions, and moisture retention, all reduced by UVB exposure, and lowered the expression of inflammatory factors. Similarly, in a UVB-induced skin damage mouse model, PFL significantly alleviated skin peeling, erythema, TWEL and epidermal thickening, while also suppressing UVB-induced skin inflammation. Mechanistically, PFL promoted Nrf2 nuclear translocation and upregulated antioxidant proteins NQO1 and HO-1, hereby decreasing ROS accumulation. It also inhibited the activation of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway in response to UVB-induced oxidative stress, likely due to the activation of Nrf2. These findings indicate that PFL may repair UVB-induced skin barrier damage through activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and inhibition of the JNK/MAPK pathway, offering potential as a therapeutic agent for skin barrier repair.