Excessive UV-B exposure is well known to be a risk factor for corneal phototoxicity including direct DNA damage and disturbances in the antioxidant balance. Here, we showed a successful synthesis of a water-soluble and biocompatible small molecule DHPM 1 with dihydropyrimidinthione skeleton, which could effectively protect human corneal epithelial (HCE-2) cells from UV-B damage. In separate experiments, DHPM 1 absorbed UV-B rays and exhibited scavenging activity against intracellular ROS induced by UV-B radiation, thereby reducing the levels of DNA fragmentation. Additionally, UV-B exposure increased the expression of cleaved caspase-3, as well as the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 at protein levels, while pretreatment with DHPM 1 significantly reversed these changes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a study based on dihydropyrimidinthione derivatives to develop a promising eye drops, which may well find extensive applications in UV-B caused corneal damage.
UV-B过度暴露众所周知是角膜光毒性的危险因素,包括直接DNA损伤和抗氧化平衡紊乱。在这里,我们展示了一种水溶性和生物相容的小分子DHPM 1的成功合成,具有二氢嘧啶硫酮骨架,可以有效保护人类角膜上皮(HCE-2)细胞免受UV-B损伤。在单独的实验中,DHPM 1吸收UV-B射线,并表现出对UV-B辐射诱导的胞内ROS的清除活性,从而降低DNA断裂水平。此外,UV-B暴露增加了裂解的caspase-3的表达,以及蛋白水平上Bax/Bcl-2比值,而预处理DHPM 1显著逆转了这些变化。据我们所知,这是一项基于二氢嘧啶硫酮衍生物的研究报告,旨在开发一种有前途的眼用滴剂,可能在UV-B引起的角膜损伤中找到广泛的应用。