Home 2016October08

Day: 8 October 2016

8Oct

Researchers at the Faculty of Science at Lund University in Sweden can now explain how the properties of the skin change depending on the environment. The new findings explain, among other things, why people don’t dehydrate in dry air. The research results can also be used in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry to make substances penetrate the skin more effectively.

The outer layer of skin can be described as a thin barrier — a kind of film that changes its properties and allows more or less water penetrate its surface, depending on whether the surrounding air is moist or dry. Chemists at the Faculty of Science in Lund have now successfully uncovered the underlying mechanism of how these barrier films control their properties. This is a general mechanism that explains on a molecular level how the skin regulates itself according to the environment but also to the properties of second barrier films, such as in paints, skin creams and food.

“Our results are interesting in several ways; among other things, it increases our understanding of skin functions. The results are relevant for the development of, for instance, cosmetics and pharmaceutical preparations of which certain substances are intended to penetrate the skin,” says Professor Emma Sparr at the Department of Chemistry in Lund, who led the study together with Dr. Kevin Roger, who now works at the University of Toulouse.

“A layer of skin cream can serve as an additional barrier that can open or close due to changes in humidity. The cream can also be designed so as to release its active substance better or worse, depending on whether the air is dry or humid,” says Emma Sparr.

There are also applications in other areas in which it is important to control the transportation of molecules through a barrier. By changing the external conditions, it is possible to affect the barrier function to let through more or fewer molecules of a particular substance. Among other things, the study may become important when companies want to develop formulas that regulate how and what substances are released into the environment.

The results were achieved through experiments at the synchrotron radiation facilities in Lund and in Switzerland. At the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, the researchers conducted the most advanced experiments using a combination of X-ray and microscopy, and successfully examined changes in the nanostructure inside the barrier film.

The results are published in an article in the scientific journal PNAS.

  • sciencedaily.com
  • Story Source: Materials provided by Lund University.

Photo: The PSI synchrotron radiation facility in Switzerland. To the left is the beamline that sends out the X-rays. The sample is attached to the small copper plate slightly to the right, and in the right-hand corner is the detector.
Photo credit: Jenny Andersson

8Oct

Although unpleasant while suffering from acne, these sufferers might have the last laugh in the end. People who have previously suffered from acne are likely to have longer telomeres (the protective repeated nucleotides found at the end of chromosomes) in their white blood cells, meaning their cells could be better protected against ageing, scientists have discovered. Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide sequences found at the end of chromosomes which protect them from deteriorating during the process of replication. Telomeres gradually break down and shrink as cells age, eventually leading to cell death which is a normal part of human growth and ageing.

Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide sequences found at the end of chromosomes which protect them from deteriorating during the process of replication. Telomeres gradually break down and shrink as cells age, eventually leading to cell death which is a normal part of human growth and aging.

Previous studies have shown that white blood cell telomere length can be predictive of biological aging and is linked with telomere length in other cells in the body.

The study, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology measured the length of white blood cell telomeres in 1,205 twins from the TwinsUK cohort. A quarter of the twins reported having experienced acne in their lifetime.

Statistical analyses which adjusted for age, relatedness, weight and height showed that telomere length in acne sufferers was significantly longer, meaning that white blood cells were more protected from the usual deterioration with age. One of the genes involved in telomere length was also associated with acne in a replication sample from the UK Acne Genetic study, also lead by King’s scientists.

Dermatologists have long noted that the skin of acne sufferers appears to age more slowly than the skin of those with no history of acne. Signs of aging such as wrinkles and skin thinning often appear much later in people who have experienced acne in their lifetime. It has been suggested that this is due to increased oil production but there are likely to be other factors involved.

The researchers also examined gene expression in pre-existing skin biopsies from the same twins to identify possible gene pathways linked to acne. One gene pathway (the p53 pathway), which regulates programmed cell death, was found to be less expressed in acne sufferers’ skin. This requires further investigation to identify other genes involved in cell aging and how they differ in acne sufferers.

Lead author of the study, Dr Simone Ribero, a dermatologist from the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at King’s, said: ‘For many years dermatologists have identified that the skin of acne sufferers appears to age more slowly than in those who have not experienced any acne in their lifetime. Whilst this has been observed in clinical settings, the cause of this was previously unclear.

‘Our findings suggest that the cause could be linked to the length of telomeres which appears to be different in acne sufferers and means their cells may be protected against aging. By looking at skin biopsies, we were able to begin to understand the gene expressions related to this. Further work is required to consider if certain gene pathways may provide a base for useful interventions.’

Dr Veronique Bataille, senior author of the paper and another dermatologist in the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology said: ‘Longer telomeres are likely to be one factor explaining the protection against premature skin aging in individuals who previously suffered from acne. Another important pathway, related to the p53 gene (a protector of the genome), is also relevant when we looked at gene expression in the skin of acne twins compared to twin controls.’

Limitations of the study include an entirely female twin cohort and it also did not identify a causal relationship. The study also primarily used self-reporting of acne severity and treatment.

  • Sciencedaily.com
  • Story source: King’s College London

 

up-arrow-1