scispace - formally typeset
Journal ArticleDOI

The skin: an indispensable barrier

Ehrhardt Proksch, +2 more
- 01 Dec 2008 - 
- Vol. 17, Iss: 12, pp 1063-1072
TLDR
Changes in epidermal differentiation and lipid composition lead to a disturbed skin barrier, which allows the entry of environmental allergens, immunological reaction and inflammation in atopic dermatitis.
Abstract
The skin forms an effective barrier between the organism and the environment preventing invasion of pathogens and fending off chemical and physical assaults, as well as the unregulated loss of water and solutes In this review we provide an overview of several components of the physical barrier, explaining how barrier function is regulated and altered in dermatoses The physical barrier is mainly localized in the stratum corneum (SC) and consists of protein-enriched cells (corneocytes with cornified envelope and cytoskeletal elements, as well as corneodesmosomes) and lipid-enriched intercellular domains The nucleated epidermis also contributes to the barrier through tight, gap and adherens junctions, as well as through desmosomes and cytoskeletal elements During epidermal differentiation lipids are synthesized in the keratinocytes and extruded into the extracellular domains, where they form extracellular lipid-enriched layers The cornified cell envelope, a tough protein/lipid polymer structure, resides below the cytoplasmic membrane on the exterior of the corneocytes Ceramides A and B are covalently bound to cornified envelope proteins and form the backbone for the subsequent addition of free ceramides, free fatty acids and cholesterol in the SC Filaggrin is cross-linked to the cornified envelope and aggregates keratin filaments into macrofibrils Formation and maintenance of barrier function is influenced by cytokines, 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate and calcium Changes in epidermal differentiation and lipid composition lead to a disturbed skin barrier, which allows the entry of environmental allergens, immunological reaction and inflammation in atopic dermatitis A disturbed skin barrier is important for the pathogenesis of contact dermatitis, ichthyosis, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis

read more

Content maybe subject to copyright    Report

Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI

Interfacial properties of avian stratum corneum monolayers investigated by Brewster angle microscopy and vibrational sum frequency generation

TL;DR: Results indicate organization and ordering of SC lipids in the arid-adapted hoopoe lark was vastly different from all other species, forming a miscible, rigid monolayer, whereas monolayers from semi-arid and mesic species were immiscible and disordered.

Antibacterial activity of sphingoid bases and fatty acids against gram-positive bacteria and gram-

TL;DR: Sphingoid bases and fatty acids have differential antibacterial activity and may have potential for prophylactic or therapeutic intervention of infection.
Proceedings ArticleDOI

Development of an integrated passive cooling façade technology for office buildings in hot arid regions

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a double skin façade system that consists of an external skin which works on multiple operating modes, which integrates passive cooling strategies with the building envelope depending on the data collected by external and internal sensors.
Journal ArticleDOI

Internal structure and mechanical property of an anisotropic hydrogel with electrostatic repulsion between nanosheets

TL;DR: In this article, a mechanically anisotropic hydrogel with a large internal electrostatic repulsion was developed, which exhibits a large elastic modulus when compressed orthogonal to the nanosheet plane.
Journal ArticleDOI

Comparison of Epidermal Barrier Integrity in Adults with Classic Atopic Dermatitis, Atopic Prurigo and Non-Atopic Prurigo Nodularis

TL;DR: In this paper, the epidermal barrier structure and function in atopic dermatitis (AD), atopic prurigo nodularis (PN), and non-atopic PN was compared to healthy controls.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI

The cornified envelope: a model of cell death in the skin

TL;DR: New insights into the molecular mechanisms and the physiological endpoints of cornification are increasing the understanding of the pathological defects of this unique form of programmed cell death, which is associated with barrier malfunctions and ichthyosis.
Journal ArticleDOI

Claudin-based tight junctions are crucial for the mammalian epidermal barrier a lesson from claudin-1–deficient mice

TL;DR: Findings provide the first evidence that continuous claudin-based TJs occur in the epidermis and that these TJs are crucial for the barrier function of the mammalian skin.
Journal ArticleDOI

Claudins and epithelial paracellular transport.

TL;DR: Information is reviewed on the structure, function, and transcriptional and posttranslational regulation of the claudin family as well as of their evolutionarily distant relatives called the PMP22/EMP/MP20/claudin, or pfam00822, superfamily.
Journal ArticleDOI

Barrier Function of the Skin: “La Raison d'Être” of the Epidermis

TL;DR: More sophisticated understanding of epidermal barrier function will lead to more rational therapy of a host of skin conditions in which the barrier is impaired, current work has focused on developing a more physiologic mix of lipids for topical application to skin.
Related Papers (5)
Trending Questions (1)
How do skin be a physical barrier ?

The skin forms a physical barrier through components such as protein-enriched cells, lipid-enriched intercellular domains, and tight junctions, preventing the invasion of pathogens and the loss of water and solutes.