Fermented Colostrum Whey Upregulates Aquaporin-3 Expression in, and Proliferation of, Keratinocytes via p38/c-Jun N-Terminal Kinase Activation

Colostrum, which contains various immune and growth factors, aids wound healing by promoting keratinocyte proliferation. Aquaporins (AQPs) are small, hydrophobic membrane proteins that regulate cellular water retention. However, few studies have examined the effect of processed colostrum whey on AQP-3 expression in human skin cells. Here, we investigated the effect of milk, colostrum, fermented milk, and fermented colostrum whey on AQP-3 expression in keratinocyte HaCaT cells. Concentrations of 100–400 μg/mL of fermented colostrum whey were found to induce HaCaT cell proliferation. AQP-3 was found to be expressed exclusively in HaCaT cells. AQP-3 expression was significantly increased in 100 μg/mL fermented colostrum whey-treated cells compared with that in controls. Moreover, fermented colostrum increased p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation, but not ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Thus, our results suggest that fermented colostrum whey increased AQP-3 expression in, and the proliferation of, keratinocytes via JNK and p38 MAPK activation.