Implementation of fatty acid carriers to skin irritation and the epidermal barrier

• Published in: Contact dermatitis Vol. 47; no. 4; pp. 199 - 205
• Main Author: Schürer, N. Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Munksgaard International Publishers 01.10.2002; Blackwell
• Subjects: 2002; Animals; barrier perturbation; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Transport - physiology; Carrier Proteins - biosynthesis; Dermatitis, Irritant - etiology; Dermatitis, Irritant - physiopathology; Dermatology; Epidermis - metabolism; Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7; Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; Female; Humans; irritant contact dermatitis; Male; Medical sciences; Neoplasm Proteins; Permeability; peroxisome proliferating activated receptor agonists. ©Blackwell Munksgaard; Sensitivity and Specificity; Skin - metabolism; Skin Absorption - physiology; Skin involvement in other diseases. Miscellaneous. General aspects; Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate - pharmacology; Tumor Suppressor Proteins; Water Loss, Insensible; Barrier function; Toxicity; irritant contact dermatitis; Epidermis; Lipids; Inflammation; Review; Fatty acids; Cholesterol; peroxisome proliferating activated receptor agonists; Binding protein; fatty acid binding proteins; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Animal; barrier perturbation; Skin; Repair; Bibliographic review; Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor; Irritation
• ISSN: 0105-1873; 1600-0536
• DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0536.2002.470402.x

Acute perturbations are followed by barrier repair and enhanced lipid synthesis, as well as cellular fatty acid trafficking, yet irritation of the skin may be induced by repeat disturbance of barrier function. Recently, new insights in cellular fatty acid transport and metabolism have evolved with respect to skin irritation and barrier disturbances: (1) Employing sodium dodecyl sulfate, skin irritation is accompanied by the induction of an epidermal (E) cytosolic fatty acid binding protein (FABP) associated with enhanced barrier repair. Whether E‐FABP contributes to the water barrier function in normal skin remains to be elucidated; (2) Cutaneous inflammation, as it occurs in irritant contact dermatitis, can be reduced by peroxisome proliferating activated receptor (PPAR) agonists, such as linoleic acid, with clinical effects comparable to that of glucocorticoids; (3) PPARα agonists accelerate barrier recovery and enhance lamellar body synthesis, neutral lipid synthesis, in particular that of ceramides and cholesterol; (4) PPARα agonists increase the minimal erythema dose in UVB‐irradiated human skin. This review provides a brief overview of the current understanding of mammalian fatty acid (FA) metabolism with respect to epidermal barrier abrogation and repair, including new insights into cellular FA transport and metabolism.