Efficacy and Cellular Mechanism of Biomimetic Marine Adhesive Protein-Based Coating Against Skin Photoaging

Abstract

Skin photoaging is a problem worldwide, clinically often accompanied by collagen decline, increased wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity, structurally weakened skin, and other complications, which urgently demand effective treatment strategies. The biosafety and efficacy of single-function therapies for repairing skin photoaging are still challenging for clinical medicine today. At present, numerous studies report that the wet adhesive proteins driven from marine organisms play a critical role in the biomedical material field, particularly in aquatic environments. In this study, a natural recombinant protein-based coating from scallop byssal protein is prepared to investigate the efficacy and cellular mechanism in accelerating the repair of UVB-induced photoaging in a mouse model. In vitro experiments demonstrate the safety of the coating and its efficacy in enhancing cell adhesion, spreading, proliferation, and migration. Additionally, the coating effectively scavenges reactive oxygen species, promotes the expression of cell adhesion molecules and anti-apoptotic proteins, and inhibits inflammatory responses. In animal tests, the coating exhibited remarkable adsorption properties, showing significant potential for in situ regenerative therapy, as evidenced by its ability to protect against UVB-induced skin photoaging and oxidative stress. These findings suggest that Sbp9^Δ coating provides a simple, safe, and innovative strategy for treating skin photoaging.