A Comparative Study of Skin Changes in Different Species of Mice in Chronic Photoaging Models

Abstract

This study aimed to design a novel mouse model of chronic photoaging. We used three different species of mice (C57BL/6J, ICR, and KM) to create a chronic photoaging model of the skin. The irradiation time was gradually increased for 40 consecutive days. The skins of the mice were removed on day 41 and subjected to staining to observe them for morphological changes. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and p53 expression; superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured as well. Compared with C57BL/J mice, which showed hyperpigmentation, the irradiated skin of ICR and KM mice showed more obvious skin thickening and photoaging changes of the collagen and elastic fibers. KM mice had higher levels of inflammation, oxidative stress, and senescent cells. Compared with the 5-month-old KM mice, the photoaging changes of the 9-month-old KM mice were more pronounced, the SOD values were lower, and the MDA values were higher. In summary, KM mice have higher levels of abnormal elastic fibers, inflammation, cellular senescence, and oxidative stress than ICR mice, and are more suitable for studies related to chronic skin photoaging. C57BL/6J mice were found to be suitable for studies related to skin pigmentation due to photoaging.