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A minimally invasive tool to study immune response and skin barrier in children with atopic dermatitis
L Hulshof1, D P Hack2, Q C J Hasnoe3
1Emma Children's Hospital Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine and Allergy, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Insights
This study analyzed skin biomarkers in children with atopic dermatitis (AD) across different skin types. Findings reveal variations in natural moisturizing factors (NMF) between light and dark skin types, suggesting differing AD mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Immunology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Atopic dermatitis (AD) affects diverse skin types, yet research often overlooks individuals with darker skin.
- A significant knowledge gap exists regarding skin barrier and immune response biomarkers in children with AD and darker skin types.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate skin barrier and immune response biomarkers in stratum corneum (SC) tape strips from children with AD, comparing different skin types.
- To identify differences in inflammatory mediators, natural moisturizing factors (NMF), and corneocyte morphology between children with AD and varying skin types.
Main Methods:
- Collected tape strips from lesional and nonlesional forearm skin of 53 children with AD and 50 controls.
- Analyzed 28 immunomodulatory mediators, NMF levels, and corneocyte morphology.
- Utilized minimally invasive tape-stripping for biomarker assessment.
Main Results:
- Elevated levels of specific cytokines (IL-1β, IL-18, CXCL8, CCL22, CCL17, CXCL10, CCL2) were observed in lesional AD skin compared to nonlesional skin.
- Natural moisturizing factor (NMF) levels decreased from healthy to lesional AD skin, with a distinct pattern in skin types II (lighter) versus VI (darker).
- Corneocyte morphology differed significantly between lesional AD skin and both nonlesional AD and healthy skin.
Conclusions:
- Minimally invasive tape-stripping is effective for assessing AD biomarkers in children.
- Observed differences in NMF levels between skin types II and VI suggest distinct pathophysiological mechanisms in pediatric AD based on skin pigmentation.
Background:
Atopic dermatitis (AD) affects children of all skin types. Most research has focused on light skin types. Studies investigating biomarkers in people with AD with dark skin types are lacking.
Objectives:
To explore skin barrier and immune response biomarkers in stratum corneum (SC) tape strips from children with AD with different skin types.
Methods:
Tape strips were collected from lesional and nonlesional forearm skin of 53 children with AD and 50 controls. We analysed 28 immunomodulatory mediators, and natural moisturizing factors (NMF) and corneocyte morphology.
Results:
Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-18, C-X-C motif chemokine (CXCL) 8 (CXCL8), C-C motif chemokine ligand (CCL) 22 (CCL22), CCL17, CXCL10 and CCL2 were significantly higher (P < 0·05) in lesional AD skin compared with nonlesional AD skin; the opposite trend was seen for IL-1α. CXCL8, CCL2 and CCL17 showed an association with objective SCORing Atopic Dermatitis score. NMF levels showed a gradual decrease from healthy skin to nonlesional and lesional AD skin. This gradual decreasing pattern was observed in skin type II but not in skin type VI. Skin type VI showed higher NMF levels in both nonlesional and lesional AD skin than skin type II. Corneocyte morphology was significantly different in lesional AD skin compared with nonlesional AD and healthy skin.
Conclusions:
Minimally invasive tape-stripping is suitable for the determination of many inflammatory mediators and skin barrier biomarkers in children with AD. This study shows differences between children with AD with skin type II and skin type VI in NMF levels, suggesting that some aspects of pathophysiological mechanisms may differ in AD children with light versus dark skin types.
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