Irisin, a novel metabolic biomarker in hidradenitis suppurativa: correlation with clinical responsivity to anti-TNF-α therapy.

BACKGROUND: Suppurative hidradenitis (HS) is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease of the hair follicle unit. Adalimumab (ADA), an anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha, is the only FDA-approved biologic available for the management of HS. TNF-α can also affect glucose and lipid metabolism, promoting insulin resistance and obesity by negatively regulating irisin, a new adipomyokine. METHODS: A total of 17 HS patients were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were collected from all patients at baseline and week-16. Plasma irisin levels were detected by ELISA assay. RESULTS: Plasma irisin levels were significantly increased after 16 weeks of ADA therapy in HS patients compared to baseline. Interestingly, plasma irisin levels correlated with clinical response. CONCLUSIONS: The link between skin inflammatory diseases and metabolic disorders has aroused great interest in order to research new biomarkers able to early identify metabolic comorbidities. Among these emerging biomarkers, irisin is one of the most recently discovered. We examined a group of patients affected by moderate-severe HS treated with anti-TNF-α, demonstrating for the first time how a therapy able to block an inflammatory cytokine can also affect the metabolic profile by modifying levels of irisin.

Beneficial effects of Rocchetta® oligomineral water in HaCaT keratinocytes after ultraviolet-B irradiation.

BACKGROUND: Several reports have previously suggested that oligomineral water may have a beneficial immunomodulatory role in skin physiology. However, molecular, and cellular mechanisms through which oligo-elements act in cutaneous trophism have not yet been fully clarified. Among the external stimuli that affect the skin, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which is frequently encountered in everyday life, is a major environmental factor of skin damage. Keratinocytes are the major target of UV, and they play a key role in a first line of body defenses. Accumulating evidence suggests that UVB irradiation induces nuclear DNA damage, membrane destruction, resulting in apoptosis and skin inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiapoptotic effects of Rocchetta® oligomineral (Co.Ge.Di. International SpA, Rome, Italy) water in UVB-irradiated immortalized human keratinocytes. METHODS: HaCaT UVB-irradiated was cultured with increasing concentrations of Rocchetta® oligomineral water. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory properties gene expression of TNF, IL1ß, IL6, COX2 and Caspase1 was performed. Moreover, the antiapoptotic effects were evaluated through gene expression of GADD45, Caspase3 and RIPK3. Finally, we evaluated the antioxidant activity of Rocchetta® oligomineral water by measuring total ROS/RNS and superoxide production as markers of oxidative stress after UVB irradiation. RESULTS: Our findings have shown that Rocchetta® oligomineral water is well tolerated by the cells and displays anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiapoptotic proprieties when used prior keratinocyte UVB irradiation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight a possible protective role of Rocchetta oligomineral water in modulating the cutaneous inflammatory response to external triggers and injuries.

The Role of Thermal Water in Chronic Skin Diseases Management: A Review of the Literature.

The benefits of thermal water in different diseases have been known since ancient times. Over the past decades, a re-assessment of the use of mineral water for the treatment of several pathologic conditions has taken place around the world. Today, water therapy is being practiced in many countries that have a variety of mineral springs considerably different in their hydrogeologic origin, temperature, and chemical composition. Thermal water and balneotherapy offer several advantages: this approach needs no chemicals or potentially harmful drugs; there are almost no side effects during and after treatment, and there is a low risk to the patient's general health and well-being. However, it is difficult to evaluate the efficacy of this therapeutic approach in clinical practice due to the complexity of molecular mechanisms underlying its efficacy. Here we review the current knowledge of the chemical, immunological, and microbiological basis for therapeutic effects of thermal water with a specific focus on chronic inflammatory skin diseases. We also describe recent evidence of the major dermatologic diseases that are frequently treated by balneotherapy with a remarkable rate of success. Moreover, we discuss the potential role of balneotherapy either alone or as a complement to conventional medical treatments.