Abstract
It is uncertain whether Bmi-1 deficiency could lead to skin aging by redox imbalance and DNA damage. In this study, we first confirmed that Bmi-1 had a relatively high expression level in the skin and Bmi-1 expression levels gradually decreased with age. Then, we studied the role of Bmi-1 in the skin using a Bmi-1(-/-) mouse model. Bmi-1(-/-) mice were supplemented with or without pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) for 5 weeks, and their skin phenotypes were compared with Bmi1(-/-) and wild-type littermates. Our results showed that Bmi-1(-/-) mice displayed decreased vertical thickness of skin, sparse hair follicles, and thinner and more irregular collagen bundles. Mechanistically, increased oxidative stress with reducing antioxidant capacity and induced DNA damage occurred in Bmi-1(-/-) mice. Subsequently, this would lead to reduced cell proliferation, increased cell senescence and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and the degradation of fibroblast function and further reduce collagen synthesis. All pathological alterations in the skin of Bmi-1(-/-) mice were alleviated by PQQ supplementation. These results demonstrated that Bmi-1 might play a key role in protection from skin aging by maintaining redox balance and inhibiting DNA damage response and will be a novel and potential target for preventing skin aging.