Alpha-Ketoglutarate Attenuates UVB-Induced Skin Photoaging by Restoring Mitochondrial Redox Homeostasis

Chronic ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation drives cutaneous photoaging—clinically manifesting as erythema, edema, scaling, deep wrinkling, loss of elasticity, and barrier disruption—through mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) overproduction and quality-control failure. Here we identify α-ketoglutarate (AKG; also known as 2-oxoglutarate), a TCA-cycle intermediate and essential co-substrate for α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases (α-KGDDs), as a metabolic corrector of mitochondrial redox homeostasis in UVB-induced photoaging. In a 10-week chronic UVB SKH1 hairless mouse model, microneedle-assisted transdermal delivery of AKG dose-dependently attenuated macroscopic erythema, scaling, and erosive lesions, restored skin barrier function and dermal elasticity, preserved epidermal–dermal architecture, and protected collagen and elastic fiber integrity, with efficacy comparable to all-trans retinoic acid. Mechanistically, AKG reactivated α-KGDD/prolyl hydroxylase (PHD) catalytic function and promoted proteasomal clearance of aberrantly stabilized HIF-1α under normoxia; this was accompanied by restored AMPK Thr172 phosphorylation downstream of constitutive LKB1 and recovery of PGC-1α-driven mitochondrial biogenesis. AKG preferentially attenuated mitochondrial superoxide over total cellular ROS through a co-substrate-mediated mechanism distinct from direct radical scavenging, and its protective effects were largely abrogated by DMOG (an α-KGDD inhibitor) or compound C (an AMPK inhibitor). These findings position AKG, delivered via microneedle-assisted topical application, as a candidate metabolite-based intervention targeting the α-KGDD/HIF-1α/AMPK axis for photoaging.