The top layer of the skin, called the stratum corneum, serves as a barrier to protect the body from outside allergens, irritants and microbes. A second skin barrier known as tight junctions, has cell-to-cell connections that control the passage of water and microparticles. Patients with inflammatory skin diseases like eczema (atopic dermatitis) and psoriasis have defective skin barriers.
New research reports that ‘leaky’ skin barriers may be the cause of eczema. The top layer of the skin (the stratum corneum) and tight junctions (cell-to-cell connections) were shown to be faulty, allowing foreign invaders to be sensed by the skin and immune system.
Eczema is the most common skin disease. It affects 17 percent of children and 6 percent of adults in the U.S. Eczema symptoms include itching and redness of the skin. Genetic predisposition, food allergies, and environmental sensitivities may contribute to eczema.
The Study
The study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, investigated the role of tight junctions in eczema. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, obtained skin samples from eczema patients and healthy participants. The skin samples were analyzed using resistance and permeability tests.
The Results
The researchers found that tight junctions were tight and strong in normal skin but leaky and permeable in eczema skin samples. This skin dysfunction allowed greater allergen sensitization.
Findings also revealed that tight junction protein claudin-1 was significantly reduced in eczema skin compared to healthy skin and psoriasis skin. When claudin-1 was reduced in healthy skin cells the tight junctions became more porous and loose.
Comment
“Collectively, these data suggest that an impairment in tight junctions contributes to the barrier dysfunction and immune dysregulation observed in atopic dermatitis subjects and that this may be mediated in part by reductions in claudin-1,” the study authors write.
Future Treatment
This discovery may help create future treatments to treat skin barrier dysfunctions in eczema. An effective treatment may include tightening the leaky skin barriers.
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Dermatin contains a synergistic blend of skin-supporting ingredients including omega 3 fatty acids, artichoke, grape seed, milk thistle, olive leaf, gamma linolenic acid (GLA), biocell collagen type II, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate.
Dermatin works to effectively relieve skin irritation, regulate inflammatory processes and prevent eczema flare-ups.
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