Patterned acquisition of skin barrier function during development

Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (8) ◽  
pp. 1541-1552 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. Hardman ◽  
P. Sisi ◽  
D.N. Banbury ◽  
C. Byrne

Skin barrier function is conferred by the outer layer of epidermis, the stratum corneum, and is essential for terrestrial life. Quantitative trans-epidermal water loss assays show that barrier forms late in embryogenesis, permitting the foetus to survive a terrestrial environment at birth. Using qualitative in situ assays for skin permeability, we show that barrier forms in a patterned manner late in mouse gestation. Barrier forms at specific epidermal sites, then spreads around the embryo as a moving front. The moving front of permeability change is accompanied by multiple changes in the outer, stratum corneum-precursor cells. We use the permeability assays to show that final stages of cornified envelope assembly are coordinated with initial stages of barrier formation. Hence the whole-mount permeability assays record developmental acquisition of a known, essential component of the adult barrier. We demonstrate the authenticity of the whole-mount assays after maternal glucocorticoid therapy (known to accelerate barrier formation) and in additional species including the rat where barrier formation is well characterized by TEWL assay (Aszterbaum, M., Menon, G. K., Feingold, K. R. and Williams, M. L. Pediatr. Res. 31, 308–317). The demonstration of patterned barrier formation in other species suggests patterned change as the universal mode of embryonic barrier acquisition. These results highlight the importance of patterning as a mode of epidermal maturation during development.

2020 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 884-895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Momoko Kawana ◽  
Masatoshi Miyamoto ◽  
Yusuke Ohno ◽  
Akio Kihara

Ceramides are the predominant lipids in the stratum corneum (SC) and are crucial components for normal skin barrier function. Although the composition of various ceramide classes in the human SC has been reported, that in mice is still unknown, despite mice being widely used as animal models of skin barrier function. Here, we performed LC/MS/MS analyses using recently available ceramide class standards to measure 25 classes of free ceramides and 5 classes of protein-bound ceramides from human and mouse SC. Phytosphingosine- and 6-hydroxy sphingosine-type ceramides, which both contain an additional hydroxyl group, were abundant in the human SC (35% and 45% of total ceramides, respectively). In contrast, in mice, phytosph­ingosine- and 6-hydroxy sphingosine-type ceramides were present at ∼1% and undetectable levels, respectively, and sphingosine-type ceramides accounted for ∼90%. In humans, ceramides containing α-hydroxy FA were abundant, whereas ceramides containing β-hydroxy or ω-hydroxy FA were abundant in mice. The hydroxylated β-carbon in β-hydroxy ceramides was in the (R) configuration. Genetic knockout of β-hydroxy acyl-CoA dehydratases in HAP1 cells increased β-hydroxy ceramide levels, suggesting that β-hydroxy acyl-CoA, an FA-elongation cycle intermediate in the ER, is a substrate for β-hydroxy ceramide synthesis. We anticipate that our methods and findings will help to elucidate the role of each ceramide class in skin barrier formation and in the pathogenesis of skin disorders.


2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 354-359
Author(s):  
Chin Yee Woo ◽  
Mark JA Koh ◽  
Winnie KY Fung ◽  
Cheri SH Chan ◽  
Chong Bing Chua ◽  
...  

Introduction: Cast immobilisation remains the mainstay of treatment for various fractures in paediatric patients, yet patients commonly complain of skin irritation and discomfort. This study aimed to perform a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the effects of cast immobilisation on the skin of children and adolescents. Materials and Methods: Patients aged 6–17 years of age with a fracture treated in a fiberglass short-arm or short-leg cast were recruited. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL), stratum corneum (SC) hydration, hair density and presence of any skin signs were assessed before and after cast. Patients were required to complete a weekly questionnaire to rate itch, malodour, warmth, and dampness of the skin under the cast. Results: A total of 60 subjects completed the study. Thirty-six patients received a short-arm cast; 24 received a short-leg cast. Upon cast removal, TEWL was significantly increased on the volar surface of the arms and legs (P <0.05), and the dorsal surface of the arm (P <0.05). Likewise, SC hydration was significantly increased at most sites (P <0.05), except the volar surface of the leg (P = 0.513). There was no change in hair density. Throughout the duration of casting, there was an increase in itch and malodour scores. Conclusions: Moderate but significant changes in TEWL, SC hydration and subjective symptoms were observed during the duration of cast immobilisation, demonstrating that cast immobilisation for up to 4 weeks exerts moderate adverse impact on patients’ skin. Further studies to explore the use of better materials for cast immobilisation to improve skin barrier function and overall patient satisfaction are warranted. Ann Acad Med Singapore 2020;49:285–93 Ann Acad Med Singapore 2020;49:354–59 Key words: Cast immobilisation, Transepidermal water loss, Stratum corneum hydration


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (23) ◽  
pp. 13091
Author(s):  
Andréa Tremblay ◽  
Mélissa Simard ◽  
Sophie Morin ◽  
Roxane Pouliot

Healthy skin moLEdels produced by tissue-engineering often present a suboptimal skin barrier function as compared with normal human skin. Moreover, skin substitutes reconstructed according to the self-assembly method were found to be deficient in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of a supplementation of the culture media with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the barrier function of skin substitutes. To this end, 10 μM DHA-supplemented skin substitutes were produced (n = 3), analyzed, and compared with controls (substitutes without supplementation). A Franz cell diffusion system, followed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography, was used to perform a skin permeability to testosterone assay. We then used gas chromatography to quantify the PUFAs found in the epidermal phospholipid fraction of the skin substitutes, which showed successful DHA incorporation. The permeability to testosterone was decreased following DHA supplementation and the lipid profile was improved. Differences in the expression of the tight junction (TJ) proteins claudin-1, claudin-4, occludin, and TJ protein-1 were observed, principally a significant increase in claudin-1 expression, which was furthermore confirmed by Western blot analyses. In conclusion, these results confirm that the DHA supplementation of cell culture media modulates different aspects of skin barrier function in vitro and reflects the importance of n-3 PUFAs regarding the lipid metabolism in keratinocytes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuji Kato ◽  
Tomoyuki Matsumoto ◽  
Setsuko Koura

A certain amount of water needs to be maintained in the stratum corneum of the skin in order to maintain the skin barrier function. Therefore, it is important to supply water to the stratum corneum of the skin to reduce trans epidermal water loss (TEWL). However, because normal water has large clusters, it is difficult to penetrate the stratum corneum of the skin. Therefore, it was considered that the use of Ultra-fine bubbles (UFB) water, which is said to have small water clusters, promotes penetration into the stratum corneum of the skin, and is useful for improving the skin barrier function. The artificial skin to which O2-UFB water was dripped had the highest water content and the lowest TEWL. It also had a high affinity for human skin. From these results, improvement of skin barrier function by O2-UFB water can be expected.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 4372
Author(s):  
Kyoungmi Jung ◽  
Seung-Hun Kim ◽  
Kyung-Mi Joo ◽  
Sung-Hwan Lim ◽  
Jin-Hee Shin ◽  
...  

The stratum corneum (SC) is the outermost layer of the epidermis and plays an important role in maintaining skin moisture and protecting the skin from the external environment. Ceramide and natural moisturizing factor (NMF) are the major SC components that maintain skin moisture. In this study, we investigated whether the oral intake of enzymatically decomposed AP collagen peptides (APCPs) can improve skin moisture and barrier function by assessing changes in the ceramide and NMF contents in the SC after APCP ingestion with the aim to develop a skin functional food. Fifty participants orally ingested APCP (1000 mg) or placebo for 12 weeks, and then, skin hydration and skin texture were evaluated. SC samples were collected to analyze skin scaling, ceramide, and NMF contents. Participants in the APCP group exhibited improved skin moisture content by 7.33% (p = 0.031) and roughness by −4.09% (p = 0.036) when compared with those in the placebo group. NMF content; the amounts of amino acids (AA), including glycine and proline; and AA derivatives were significantly increased in the APCP group (31.98 μg/mg protein) compared to those in the placebo group (−16.01 μg/mg protein) (p = 0.006). The amounts of total ceramides and ceramide subclasses were significantly higher in the APCP group than in the placebo group (p = 0.014). In conclusion, our results demonstrate that APCP intake improves skin moisture and increase the ceramide and NMF contents in the SC, thereby enhancing the skin barrier function.


2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Catherine Mack Correa ◽  
Guangru Mao ◽  
Peter Saad ◽  
Carol R. Flach ◽  
Richard Mendelsohn ◽  
...  

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