ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Ceramides are the main lipid component of the stratum corneum and are a structurally heterogeneous and complex group of sphingolipids of which sphingoid bases are the basic structural constituents. Altered levels of sphingoid bases have been reported in skin conditions that involve dryness and barrier disruption, including atopic dermatitis. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the altered levels of sphingoid bases in psoriatic epidermis and their relationship with the clinical severity of the psoriasis. METHODS: Samples from the lesional and non-lesional epidermis were obtained from eight psoriasis patients. Levels of sphingosine and sphinganine were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The expression of ceramide synthase and ceramidase proteins, which are related to sphingosine and sphinganine metabolism, were measured using Western blot analysis. RESULTS: Levels of sphingosine and sphinganine in the lesional epidermis were significantly higher than those in the non-lesional epidermis. Although there was no altered ceramide synthase and ceramidase, there was a highly significant positive correlation between the % change of ceramidase, the degradative enzyme of ceramide into sphingosine, and the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score. CONCLUSION: The levels of sphingosine and sphinganine were significantly increased in psoriatic epidermis and the % change of ceramidase was positively correlated with the clinical severity of psoriasis.
Subject(s)
Humans , Blotting, Western , Ceramidases , Ceramides , Chromatography, Liquid , Epidermis , Oxidoreductases , Proteins , Psoriasis , Skin , Sphingolipids , SphingosineABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Ceramides are the main lipid component of the stratum corneum and are a structurally heterogeneous and complex group of sphingolipids of which sphingoid bases are the basic structural constituents. Altered levels of sphingoid bases have been reported in skin conditions that involve dryness and barrier disruption, including atopic dermatitis. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the altered levels of sphingoid bases in psoriatic epidermis and their relationship with the clinical severity of the psoriasis. METHODS: Samples from the lesional and non-lesional epidermis were obtained from eight psoriasis patients. Levels of sphingosine and sphinganine were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The expression of ceramide synthase and ceramidase proteins, which are related to sphingosine and sphinganine metabolism, were measured using Western blot analysis. RESULTS: Levels of sphingosine and sphinganine in the lesional epidermis were significantly higher than those in the non-lesional epidermis. Although there was no altered ceramide synthase and ceramidase, there was a highly significant positive correlation between the % change of ceramidase, the degradative enzyme of ceramide into sphingosine, and the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score. CONCLUSION: The levels of sphingosine and sphinganine were significantly increased in psoriatic epidermis and the % change of ceramidase was positively correlated with the clinical severity of psoriasis.
Subject(s)
Humans , Blotting, Western , Ceramidases , Ceramides , Chromatography, Liquid , Epidermis , Oxidoreductases , Proteins , Psoriasis , Skin , Sphingolipids , SphingosineABSTRACT
In our previous studies, dietary supplements of silk protein, sericin, and fibroin, were beneficial for improving epidermal levels of ceramides, which are the major lipids for maintaining the epidermal barrier. In this study, we investigated the dietary effects of silk protein on epidermal levels of free sphingoid bases and their phosphates such as C18 sphingosine (So), C18 sphinganine (Sa), C18 sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), and C18 sphinganine-1-phosphate (Sa1P), which are either synthetic substrate or degradative metabolites of ceramides. Forty-five male NC/Nga mice, an animal model of atopic dermatitis (AD), were divided into three groups: group CA was an atopic control and fed a control diet, group S was fed a 1% sericin diet, and group F was fed a 1% fibroin diet. Fifteen male BALB/c mice served as group C (control group) and were fed the control diet. All mice were fed with diets and water ad libitum for 10 weeks. Sa in group CA was lower than that in group C, but So in group CA was similar to that in group C. So and Sa were higher in groups S and F than those in group CA; So level was even higher than that in group C, and Sa level was similar to that of group C. The So/Sa ratio in group CA, which is reported to increase in AD, was significantly higher than that of group C. The So/Sa ratio was lower in groups S and F than that in group CA, and decreased further in group F. However, S1P and Sa1P in groups S and F were similar to those in group CA. Taken together, we demonstrated that silk protein, sericin and fibroin dietary supplements, increased So and Sa levels, and decreased the So/Sa ratio.