Polypeptides from the Skin of Rana chensinensis Exert the Antioxidant and Antiapoptotic Activities on HaCaT Cells.

Studies have shown that frog skin secretes many types of peptides that are good for human skin. In this study, acid and enzymatic extracts of Rana skin peptides (acid/enzymatic Rana skin peptides, ARPs/ERPs) were obtained. The chemical and physical properties of the ARPs and ERPs were identified through UV scanning, HGLC, FRIT, and MS. MTS and flow cytometry were used to test the proproliferative and antiapoptotic effects of the ARPs and ERPs on human immortalized keratinocytes (HaCaT cells). To elucidate the antiapoptotic mechanisms, the mRNA and protein levels of EGF (epidermal growth factor, which enhances stimulation of cellular proliferation in both cells and epithelial tissues) and caspase-3 were evaluated using quantitative RT-PCR. The results indicated that the ARPs and ERPs were extracted from the Rana skin with yields of 0.65% and 0.52%, respectively. Treatment with ARPs (1.6 g/L) and ERPs (0.8 g/L) showed a 1.66-fold (p < 0.001) and 2.1-fold (p < 0.001) enhancement in the proliferation rates of HaCaT cells. The rate of apoptosis decreased by 2.6 fold (p < 0.01) and 3.4 fold (p < 0.01) under the UVB stimulation, respectively, at the same time, the up-regulation of EGF and down-regulation of caspase-3 were found. These results suggested that we can dig into the potential value of ARPs/ERPs in a new field.