Fig. 3.

Effect of GrDENs in expression of skin aging- and inflammation-related genes. HaCaT cells were pre-treated with GrDENs (0–2 × 10⁹ particles/mL) for 30 min and exposed by H₂O₂ for 24 h. (A–C) The expression of the aging-related genes, such as MMP-2 (A), MMP-3 (B), and MMP-9 (C), was determined by real-time PCR. (D and E) The mRNA levels of the inflammation-associated genes, such as COX-2 (D) and IL-6 (E), were examined with real-time PCR. (F) The gene expression of p21, a cellular senescence biomarker, was determined with real-time PCR. All data are presented as mean ± standard deviation of three independent experiments. ##p < 0.01 compared to the normal group (non-treatment), and *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 compared to the control group (H₂O₂ exposure group).