Age dependent increase of elastase type protease activity in mouse skin: Effect of UV-irradiation

The effect of chronological aging and photoaging (UV-radiation) on elastase-type enzyme activity of hairless mouse skin was studied. Aging resulted in the increase of elastase type endopeptidase activity extractable from mouse skins. Both chronic UVA and UVB radiation resulted in a significant increase of elastase type activity. PBS extracted only small part of the elastase activity, UV-A produced an increase of about 90–120% according to the type of irradiation (xenon or UV-A SUN) and UV-B produced a 72% increase. Extraction by Triton X-100 suggested that most of the activity is bound to cells and fibrous structures. EDTA inhibited 80–90% of the elastase activity in chronologically aged skin extracts and also the activity induced by UVA radiation suggesting that metallo-elastase(s) are involved. About 30% of the UVB induced activity could only be inhibited by EDTA and about 50% by PMSF suggesting that irradiation by UVB increased more serine endopeptidase activity but also MMP-activity. Chronic UVA radiation produced an increase of skin elastase activity equivalent to that observed after 24 months of aging in non-irradiated animals (∼100 weeks) corresponding to ∼90% of total life span of these mice. The total increase produced by UVB was less, but the strong increase of a serine elastase, presumably from PMN-s, appear to produce a much more pronounced biological activity as shown by the presence of fibronectin degradation products in skin extracts. Such degradation products were shown to exert harmful effects on tissues. These results may well have biological significance and distinguish chronological aging and photoaging.