Abstract
Background
Atopic dermatitis (AD) shows dry skin. Water-soluble, low molecular weight components,
collectively known as natural moisturizing factor (NMF), play an important role in
maintaining the stratum corneum (SC) hydration. Previous studies focused on reduced
levels of free amino acids (FAAs) in NMF from AD skin. It remains unknown, however,
whether other NMF components are also altered in AD.
Objective
To characterize the levels of various NMF components in the SC of healthy subjects
and in mild AD adult patients.
Methods
NMF components were extracted from three sequential tape-stripped SC samples obtained
from the volar forearm. NMF components which were decreased in AD skin were topically
applied to examine their contribution to SC moisturization in AD skin.
Results
We found that although FAAs levels were not remarkably reduced, levels of pyrrolidone
carboxylic acid (PCA), lactate, urea, sodium and potassium were significantly decreased
in NMF from mild AD skin. Among those components, only the topical application of
potassium lactate effectively increased skin surface hydration indicating that reductions
of lactate and potassium influence dry skin in mild AD patients. Unlike the distribution
of filaggrin-derived FAAs and PCA, lactate, urea, potassium and sodium were abundant
in the surface layer of the SC compared with the inner layer of the SC. Such findings
strongly suggest that those components are supplied from outside the SC, i.e. they
originate from sweat.
Conclusion
The reduced levels of sweat-derived NMF components in mild AD patients suggests that
impaired sweat function might in part result in the SC dryness.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 05, 2012
Accepted:
February 23,
2012
Received in revised form:
February 22,
2012
Received:
August 25,
2011
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
