Postadministration Protective Effect of Magnesium-L-ascorbyl-phosphate on the Development of UVB-induced Cutaneous Damage in Mice

The effects of stable vitamin C, magnesium-L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate (MAP), administered after acute and chronic exposure to UVB irradiation were investigated using hairless mice. Intraperitoneal administration of 100 mg/kg of MAP immediately after acute exposure to 15 kJ/m² of UVB significantly prevented increases of UVB-induced lipid peroxidation in skin and sialic acid in serum, an inflammation marker. Administration of 50 mg/kg of MAP immediately after each exposure significantly delayed skin tumor formation and hyperplasia induced by chronic exposure to 2 kJ/m² of UVB. Intraperitoneal administration of 200 mg/kg of MAP produced an increase in ascorbic acid (As) levels in the serum, liver and skin within 15 min. Serum As levels quickly returned to normal, but hepatic and cutaneous levels remained elevated before returning to normal after 24 h, suggesting that MAP was converted to As in the serum and in those tissues. Ultraviolet B-induced hydroxyl radical generation in murine skin homogenates was scavenged by As-Na addition, which was directly detected by electron spin resonance (ESR). These results suggest that postadministration of MAP delays progression of skin damage induced by UVB irradiation. It is presumed that MAP, once converted to As, exhibits such inhibitory effects by scavenging hydroxyl and lipid radicals generated as a direct or indirect result of UVB exposure.