Figure 3. H(H₂O)_m prevents UV-induced MMP-1, COX-2 and IL-6 mRNA expression in HaCaT cells.

(A) Cells were pre-treated with H(H₂O)_m for 15 min, then irradiated with UV (55 mJ/cm²) and post-treated with H(H₂O)_m for 15 min in PBS. After incubation for 48 hr with serum-free DMEM, MMP-1 expression was determined in culture media and COX-2 and β-actin expression were determined in cell lysates by Western blotting. The bands are representative of results from three independent experiments. Results are expressed as means ± SEM (n = 6). (B) Cells were treated with H(H₂O)_m and UV as described above. After incubation for 24 hr with serum free DMEM, MMP-1, COX-2 and IL-6 mRNA expressions were determined by real-time RT-PCR. Results are expressed as means ± SEM (n = 3), * p<0.05, ** p<0.01, *** p<0.001.