The cutaneous lipidome: Does ethnicity impact skin's lipid barrier?

从历史上看，皮肤研究一直集中在北欧(或高加索人)白色皮肤的特性上。因此，我们对不同种族个体的皮肤生物学知识要落后得多。还有一种假设是，旨在改善白人皮肤质量的治疗对深色皮肤的人也同样有益。然而，数据表明，皮肤的生理、结构和机械功能在不同的种族人群中是不同的。然而，目前尚不清楚种族是否会影响表皮屏障及其成分脂肪。表皮脂肪屏障在保护身体免受环境因素影响方面至关重要，并有助于我们的免疫防御。生物活性脂质，如神经酰胺，是角质层(SC)的关键成分，与皮肤通透性和免疫性屏障的结构和功能密切相关。此外，SC的脂质成分受季节变化的影响，并可能受到特应性皮炎和衰老等疾病的影响。目前，我们对表皮脂小体如何影响种族皮肤屏障属性的了解有限。在这个项目中，我们的目标是确定不同种族人群中SC脂类的差异，评估性别和年龄是否会额外影响不同身体部位的表皮脂肪组成，并探索这种改变对表皮屏障结构和功能的影响。我们的实验方法将基于一项人体志愿者研究，伴随着非侵入性的生物力学手段，如皮肤测量，使用质谱脂组学分析SC脂类，遗传分析，以及通过免疫组织化学、组织学和原子力显微镜评估皮肤样本的生化特性。研究结果将产生对种族皮肤生物学的新的科学见解，长期目标是开发干预策略，以满足肤色较深的消费者未得到满足的需求。

Historically, skin research has focused on the properties of white Northern European (or Caucasian) skin. Consequently, our knowledge of skin biology in individuals from different ethnicities is much less advanced. There is also an assumption that treatments aiming to improve skin quality in white individuals will be equally beneficial in those with darker skin. However, data suggest that skin physiology, structure and mechanical function, is altered across different ethnic populations. However, it is unknown whether ethnicity impacts the epidermal barrier and its component lipids.The epidermal lipid barrier is vital in protecting the body from environmental factors and contributes to our immune defenses. Bioactive lipids, such as ceramides, are key components of the stratum corneum (SC) and are intimately involved in the structure and function of both the permeability and immunological skin barriers. Furthermore, the lipid composition of SC is subject to seasonal changes, and can be affected by diseases such as atopic dermatitis, and the onset of ageing. Currently, our knowledge of how the epidermal lipidome influences barrier properties in ethnic skin is limited.In this project we aim to identify differences in SC lipids in individuals across a wide-range of ethnic groups, assess whether gender and age can additionally impact epidermal lipid composition across different body sites, and explore the consequence of such alterations for the epidermal barrier's structure and function. Our experimental approach will be based on a human volunteer study accompanied by non-invasive biomechanical measures such as cutometry, analysis of SC lipids using mass spectrometry lipidomics, genetic analyses, and assessment of biochemical properties of skin samples by immunohistochemistry, histology, and atomic force microscopy.The study outcomes will generate new scientific insight into the biology of ethnic skin, with the long-term aims of developing intervention strategies to address unmet needs of consumers with darker skin tones.