l-Ascorbyl-2-phosphate attenuates NF-κB signaling in SZ95 sebocytes without affecting IL-6 and IL-8 secretion

Acne is the most common inflammatory skin disease. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is at the beginning of the cytokine signaling cascade and may be involved in the pathogenesis of this disorder. It activates redox-sensitive transcription factors, which induce IL-6 and IL-8 expression. Interestingly, l-ascorbyl-2-phosphate (APS) was shown to have beneficial effects in patients with acne vulgaris. The mechanism of action of this agent remains unknown. Here, we investigated if APS attenuates IL-1β- or TNF-α-mediated IL-6 and IL-8 expression in SZ95 sebocytes, whereas TNF-α was used as control. We also explored NF-κB activation which is known to orchestrate IL-1β- and TNF-α-mediated cytokine expression in many cell types. Both IL-1β and TNF-α increased IL-6 and IL-8 mRNA expression in SZ95 sebocytes. However, only IL-1β induced IL-6 and IL-8 secretion. IL-1β but not TNF-α activated NF-κB canonical signaling as demonstrated by Iκ-Bα phosphorylation and degradation as well as by nuclear accumulation of NF-κB/p65. Concomitant treatment of SZ95 sebocytes with APS attenuated the effect of IL-1β and TNF-α on IL-6 and IL-8 gene expression as well as on IL-1β-mediated NF-κB signaling. In contrast, APS failed to reduce IL-1β-mediated IL-6 and IL-8 secretion, presumably by maintained IL-1β-mediated p38 activation, which is known to control IL-8 secretion. Our findings shed light into the impact of IL-1β on the inflammatory cytokine response and its molecular mechanisms in human sebocytes. Our data further suggest that the beneficial effect of APS in acne patients involves attenuation of NF-κB signaling but not reduction of IL-6 or IL-8 secretion. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00403-015-1565-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.