Lipid Conjugation of a Photoprotective Meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba) Glucolimnanthin Derivative Reduces Cytotoxicity, Attenuates UV-Induced DNA Damage and Activates DNA Repair in Human Keratinocytes Following UV Radiation

Carpenter, Evan L.; Wu, Wenbin; Podgórska, Ewa; Lakkim, Vajravathi; Singh, Saiashish G.; Slominski, Andrzej T.; Ganguli-Indra, Gitali; Stevens, Jan F.; Indra, Arup K.

doi:10.3390/biom16081151

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Lipid Conjugation of a Photoprotective Meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba) Glucolimnanthin Derivative Reduces Cytotoxicity, Attenuates UV-Induced DNA Damage and Activates DNA Repair in Human Keratinocytes Following UV Radiation

by

Evan L. Carpenter

^1,†

,

Wenbin Wu

^1,2,

Ewa Podgórska

^3,4

,

Vajravathi Lakkim

¹

,

Saiashish G. Singh

¹

,

Andrzej T. Slominski

^3,4

,

Gitali Ganguli-Indra

^1,5,6,

Jan F. Stevens

^1,2,5

and

Arup K. Indra

^1,2,5,6,7,*

¹

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA

²

Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA

³

Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA

⁴

Birmingham Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA

⁵

Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA

⁶

Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA

⁷

Department of Dermatology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

Current Address: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.

Biomolecules 2026, 16(8), 1151; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16081151

Submission received: 7 June 2026 / Revised: 27 July 2026 / Accepted: 4 August 2026 / Published: 7 August 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Melanoma Targeted Therapy)

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Abstract

Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation is a primary cause of DNA damage in the skin, which is often a precursor to skin cancer. Natural products represent a rich source of compounds with unexplored photoprotective properties. Our previous work identified 3-methoxybenzyl isothiocyanate (MBITC), a meadowfoam derivative, as a promising UVB-absorptive agent that reduces DNA damage and cell proliferation; however, its clinical use is limited by dose-dependent cytotoxicity. To address this, we synthesized a novel amide lipid conjugate of MBITC, N-(3-methoxybenzyl)eicos-5-enamide (MBA), and evaluated its photoprotective efficacy and mechanism of action. Our findings demonstrate that MBA exhibited remarkably reduced cytotoxicity compared to its parent compound, while effectively retaining its photoprotective properties. In human primary keratinocyte cultures, MBA significantly reduced UVB-induced DNA damage, as evidenced by a decrease in cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (p < 0.05) and γ-H2A.X (p < 0.05). Furthermore, MBA increased the expression of DNA damage response (DDR) proteins and DNA damage-binding protein 1 (DDB1) (p < 0.05) and the activation of Ataxia Telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein (ATR) (p < 0.05), a master regulator of DDR and repair pathways. These findings suggest that MBA acts through direct UVB absorption and/or the engagement of DDR pathways following irradiation, highlighting its potential use as a novel photoprotective compound.

Keywords: natural product; ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced damage; UVB-absorption; photoprotection; DNA damage response (DDR); skin

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MDPI and ACS Style

Carpenter, E.L.; Wu, W.; Podgórska, E.; Lakkim, V.; Singh, S.G.; Slominski, A.T.; Ganguli-Indra, G.; Stevens, J.F.; Indra, A.K. Lipid Conjugation of a Photoprotective Meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba) Glucolimnanthin Derivative Reduces Cytotoxicity, Attenuates UV-Induced DNA Damage and Activates DNA Repair in Human Keratinocytes Following UV Radiation. Biomolecules 2026, 16, 1151. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16081151

AMA Style

Carpenter EL, Wu W, Podgórska E, Lakkim V, Singh SG, Slominski AT, Ganguli-Indra G, Stevens JF, Indra AK. Lipid Conjugation of a Photoprotective Meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba) Glucolimnanthin Derivative Reduces Cytotoxicity, Attenuates UV-Induced DNA Damage and Activates DNA Repair in Human Keratinocytes Following UV Radiation. Biomolecules. 2026; 16(8):1151. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16081151

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carpenter, Evan L., Wenbin Wu, Ewa Podgórska, Vajravathi Lakkim, Saiashish G. Singh, Andrzej T. Slominski, Gitali Ganguli-Indra, Jan F. Stevens, and Arup K. Indra. 2026. "Lipid Conjugation of a Photoprotective Meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba) Glucolimnanthin Derivative Reduces Cytotoxicity, Attenuates UV-Induced DNA Damage and Activates DNA Repair in Human Keratinocytes Following UV Radiation" Biomolecules 16, no. 8: 1151. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16081151

APA Style

Carpenter, E. L., Wu, W., Podgórska, E., Lakkim, V., Singh, S. G., Slominski, A. T., Ganguli-Indra, G., Stevens, J. F., & Indra, A. K. (2026). Lipid Conjugation of a Photoprotective Meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba) Glucolimnanthin Derivative Reduces Cytotoxicity, Attenuates UV-Induced DNA Damage and Activates DNA Repair in Human Keratinocytes Following UV Radiation. Biomolecules, 16(8), 1151. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16081151

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Lipid Conjugation of a Photoprotective Meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba) Glucolimnanthin Derivative Reduces Cytotoxicity, Attenuates UV-Induced DNA Damage and Activates DNA Repair in Human Keratinocytes Following UV Radiation

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