{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]],"date-time":"2026-07-29T02:06:14Z","timestamp":1785290774856,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]],"date-time":"2026-01-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768953600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation"},{"name":"Ministry of Education"},{"name":"Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism"},{"name":"ICETEX, Program Ecosistema Cient\u00edfico-Colombia Cient\u00edfica"},{"name":"Francisco Jos\u00e9 de Caldas Fund","award":["RC-FP44842-212-2018"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RC-FP44842-212-2018"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Plants represent an important source of photoprotective compounds that are capable of protecting human skin from solar-induced damage. In this study we investigated the suitability of a murine model for estimating the Erythema Protection Efficacy (EPE) of natural compound. Methods: UVB-induced skin erythema in albino BALB\/c mice was quantified using a Mexameter MX18 MDD colorimeter. The ARRIVE principle was followed. The Minimum Erythema Dose (MED) was determined based on Log10 dose\u2013erythema response curves. EPE values for UV filters (e.g., titanium dioxide or zinc oxide) and selected plant-derived compounds (apigenin, caffeic acid, epigallocatechin gallate, kaempferol, and pinocembrin) were calculated as the ratio between the MED of protected skin and that of unprotected skin. Results: The UVB-induced erythema in both female and male mouse skin followed a linear response. Erythema intensity varied by sex and by the dorsal skin area examined. MED values ranged from 39 to 57 mJ\/cm2 in female mice and from 71 to 80 mJ\/cm2 in male mice. In both sexes, MED increased linearly with the logarithm of the radiation dose. All tested compounds (apigenin, caffeic acid, epigallocatechin gallate, kaempferol, and pinocembrin) provided protection against UV-radiation-induced erythema in mouse skin. Among them, apigenin, caffeic acid, and kaempferol exhibited the highest EPE values, indicating strong potential for incorporation into sunscreen formulations. Conclusions: The murine EPE metric proved to be a useful tool for identifying plant-derived compounds with potential relevance for the photoprotection of human skin.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life16010176","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,23]],"date-time":"2026-01-23T10:41:34Z","timestamp":1769164894000},"page":"176","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Erythema Protection Efficacy of Plant-Derivative Compounds in Mice Based on Narrow-Band Reflectance Spectroscopy Data"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Diego Armando","family":"Villamizar Mantilla","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Microbiolog\u00eda y Mutag\u00e9nesis Ambiental (LMMA), Grupo de Investigaci\u00f3n en Microbiolog\u00eda y Gen\u00e9tica, Escuela de Biolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS), Bucaramanga 680002, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4575-5899","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luis Alberto","family":"Nu\u00f1ez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela de F\u00edsica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga 680002, Colombia"},{"name":"Departamento de F\u00edsica, Universidad de Los Andes, M\u00e9rida 5101, Venezuela"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7052-932X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elena E.","family":"Stashenko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n en Biomol\u00e9culas, CIBIMOL, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS), Bucaramanga 680002, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4533-5114","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mar\u00eda Pilar","family":"Vinardell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Bioqu\u00edmica y Fisiolog\u00eda, Facultad de Farmacia y Ciencias de la Alimentaci\u00f3n, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8112-0554","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jorge Luis","family":"Fuentes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Microbiolog\u00eda y Mutag\u00e9nesis Ambiental (LMMA), Grupo de Investigaci\u00f3n en Microbiolog\u00eda y Gen\u00e9tica, Escuela de Biolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS), Bucaramanga 680002, Colombia"},{"name":"Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n en Biomol\u00e9culas, CIBIMOL, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS), Bucaramanga 680002, Colombia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"1153","article-title":"Photocarcinogenesis and skin cancer prevention strategies: An update","volume":"38","author":"Martens","year":"2018","journal-title":"Anticancer. 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