Protective Effect of Ginsenoside Re against UVB-Induced Photodamage in Rats

With the growing prominence of skin photodamage caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the development of efficient and safe natural photoprotectants has become a major research focus. Ginsenoside Re, a rare active component of Panax ginseng, has attracted much attention due to its significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, but its systemic role and mechanism in protecting against photodamage remain unclear. In this study, a UVB-induced rat photodamage model was established to evaluate the protective effect of ginsenoside Re through histopathological staining, biochemical index detection, etc. and combined with transcriptome and metabolomics analysis to screen differentially expressed genes and metabolites, thereby revealing metabolic pathways and gene functions associated with the photodamage phenotype. Key targets were further verified through multi-omics integration and Western blotting. The results showed that ginsenoside Re could effectively alleviate UVB-induced pathological injury of skin tissue, reduce the level of oxidative stress and the release of inflammatory factors. In addition, it could effectively reverse the abnormal expression of 265 differential genes and 30 metabolites. Through multi-omics association analysis and WB verification, the glutathione metabolism pathway was identified as a key pathway mediating the protective effects of ginsenoside Re against skin photodamage. This study suggests that ginsenoside Re holds promise as a potential natural photoprotectant for UVB-induced skin photodamage.