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Published on: July 14, 2017

PPARδ activation promotes stratum corneum formation and epidermal permeability barrier development during late

Yan J Jiang1, Grant Barish, Biao Lu

  • 1Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Metabolism Section, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California 94121, USA. yan.jiang@med.va.gov

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology
|August 14, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-delta (PPARdelta) plays a key role in fetal skin development. Activating PPARdelta accelerates stratum corneum (SC) formation and barrier function, crucial for newborn survival.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Dermatology
  • Molecular Endocrinology

Background:

  • Epidermal ontogenesis forms the stratum corneum (SC), essential for post-natal skin barrier function.
  • Regulation of epidermal development is not fully understood, though nuclear hormone receptors are implicated.
  • Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-delta (PPARdelta) is abundant in fetal skin and promotes barrier formation in adults.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of PPARdelta in regulating epidermal ontogenesis and permeability barrier development.
  • To test the hypothesis that PPARdelta signaling influences fetal skin maturation.

Main Methods:

  • Treatment of fetal rat explants with a PPARdelta ligand (GW 610742X).
  • Intra-amniotic administration of GW 610742X in rats.
  • Analysis of PPARdelta-deficient mice during gestation, assessing SC formation and protein expression.

Main Results:

  • PPARdelta activation in rat explants accelerated SC formation, reduced water loss, and enhanced barrier function.
  • Intra-amniotic GW 610742X administration similarly promoted SC and barrier development.
  • PPARdelta-deficient mice showed delayed SC formation and differentiation protein expression during mid-gestation, with normalization by late gestation.

Conclusions:

  • PPARdelta signaling is a critical regulator of fetal epidermal development and stratum corneum formation.
  • PPARdelta plays a transient but essential role in establishing the permeability barrier during late gestation.
  • Targeting PPARdelta may offer therapeutic potential for developmental skin barrier disorders.

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