Expression of cutaneous immunity markers during infant skin maturation

Frank Kirchner, Kimberly A Capone, M Catherine Mack, Georgios N Stamatas, Frank Kirchner, Kimberly A Capone, M Catherine Mack, Georgios N Stamatas

Abstract

Background/objectives: Infant skin undergoes a maturation process during the early years of life. Little is known about the skin's innate immunity. We investigated the dynamics of innate immunity markers collected from the surface of infant skin during the first 36 months of life.

Methods: A total of 117 healthy infants aged 3-36 months participated in the study. We extracted human beta defensin-1 and interleukin 1 alpha and its receptor antagonist using transdermal analysis patches from the skin surface of the posterior lower leg area. The extracts were analyzed using a spot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results: Skin surface human beta defensin-1 levels were higher early in life and decreased with infant age. The ratio of interleukin 1 alpha receptor antagonist to interleukin 1 alpha did not change significantly with age but showed a distinct difference between sexes, with female infants having higher values than male infants.

Conclusion: As is the case with skin structure and functional properties, cutaneous innate immunity also appears to undergo a maturation period during infancy, with innate immunity slowly declining as adaptive immunity takes over. Sex differences in immune markers may explain sex-dependent susceptibilities to infection.

Keywords: dermatopathology; genetic diseases/mechanisms; quality of life; skin barrier; subcutaneous tissue/panniculitis/lipodystrophy.

© 2018 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. Pediatric Dermatology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Skin surface concentration of human β‐defensin 1 (hBD‐1) is higher early in life and decreases with age (P < .05 for the linear regression)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Skin surface levels of the ratio of interleukin (IL)‐1 receptor antagonist (RA) to IL‐1α are independent of infant age
Figure 3
Figure 3
Skin surface levels of the ratio of interleukin (IL)‐1 receptor antagonist (RA)/IL‐1α is higher in female than male infants (P < .05). Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals for the mean

References

    1. Nemes Z, Steinert PM. Bricks and mortar of the epidermal barrier. Exp Mol Med. 1999;31:5‐19.
    1. Parham P. The immune system, 3rd edn New York, KY: Garland Science; 2009.
    1. Bardan A, Nizet V, Gallo RL. Antimicrobial peptides and the skin. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2004;4:543‐549.
    1. Stamatas GN, Nikolovski J, Luedtke MA, et al. Infant skin microstructure assessed in vivo differs from adult skin in organization and at the cellular level. Pediatr Dermatol. 2009;27:125‐131.
    1. Nikolovski J, Stamatas GN, Kollias N, Wiegand BC. Barrier function and water‐holding and transport properties of infant stratum corneum are different from adult and continue to develop through the first year of life. J Invest Dermatol. 2008;128:1728‐1736.
    1. Capone KA, Dowd SE, Stamatas GN, Nikolovski J. Diversity of the human skin microbiome early in life. J Invest Dermatol. 2011;131:2026‐2032.
    1. Dorschner RA, Lin KH, Murakami M, Gallo RL. Neonatal skin in mice and humans expresses increased levels of antimicrobial peptides: innate immunity during development of the adaptive response. Pediatr Res. 2003;53:566‐572.
    1. Loeffelbein DJ, Steinstraesser L, Rohleder NH, et al. Expression of host defense peptides in the lip vermilion mucosa during early infancy. J Oral Pathol Med. 2011;40:598‐603.
    1. Orro K, Smirnova O, Arshavskaja J, et al. Development of TAP, a non‐invasive test for qualitative and quantitative measurements of biomarkers from the skin surface. Biomark Res. 2014;2:20.
    1. Arend WP. The balance between IL‐1 and IL1RA in disease. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. 2002;13:323‐340.
    1. Bando M, Hiroshima Y, Kataoka M, et al. Interleukin‐1α regulates antimicrobial peptide expression in human keratinocytes. Immunol Cell Biol. 2007;85:532‐537.
    1. Perrier S, Darakhshan F, Hajduch E. IL‐1 receptor antagonist in metabolic diseases: Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde? FEBS Lett. 2006;580:6289‐6294.
    1. Hirao T, Aoki H, Yoshida T, et al. Elevation of interleukin 1 receptor antagonist in the stratum corneum of sun‐exposed and ultraviolet B‐irradiated human skin. J Invest Dermatol. 1996;106:1102‐1107.
    1. Ali RS, Falconer A, Ikram M, et al. Expression of the peptide antibiotics human β defensin‐1 and human β defensin‐2 in normal human skin. J Invest Dermatol. 2001;117:106‐111.
    1. Oren A, Ganz T, Liu L, Meerloo T. In human epidermis, beta‐defensin 2 is packaged in lamellar bodies. Exp Mol Pathol. 2003;74:180‐182.
    1. Robinson DP, Lorenzo ME, Jian W, Klein SL. Elevated 17β‐estradiol protects females from influenza A virus pathogenesis by suppressing inflammatory responses. PLoS Pathog. 2011;7:e1002149.

Source: PubMed

Sponzoři a spolupracovníci

Zdravotní podmínky

Drogové intervence

3
Předplatit