The skin is the body's largest organ, and it plays a vital role as the primary line of defense against pathogens and insults from the external environment. It provides necessary functions resembling temperature regulation and moisture retention. And despite the misunderstanding that lipids make your skin oily and acne-prone, in truth Play an important role in maintaining the skin barrier.
Lipids – organic compounds that include Fats, oils, waxes and other types of molecules – are essential components of the outer layer of the skin. Changes within the lipid composition of the skin can disrupt its ability to act as a protective barrier, resulting in Range of skin diseasesIncluding eczema and psoriasis.
Is colonized by human skin Thousands of species of bacteria. One of essentially the most common microbes on the skin, or is well-known for its potential involvement in causing pimples, but its wider effects on skin health are poorly understood.
I'm a Researcher in Dermatology I'm working Gallo Lab on the University of California, San Diego. My colleagues and I study how the skin defends the body against infections and the environment, with a selected give attention to the skin microbiome, or the microbes that continue to exist the skin. In our recently published research conducted in collaboration with SILAB, an organization that develops lively ingredients for skincare products, we found that certain skin cells are stimulated. Significant increase in production of lipids that are necessary for maintaining the skin barrier.
Skin bacteria and lipid composition
To determine the role of bacteria in lipid production, we exposed keratinocytes, cells that Create the epidermisanalyzed changes within the lipid composition of various naturally occurring bacteria on the skin.
Of the common skin bacteria we tested, just one was activated. Increased lipid production More specifically inside these cells, we found a threefold increase in total lipids, including ceramides, cholesterol, free fatty acids and particularly triglycerides. Each of those lipid types is crucial for maintaining the skin's barrier, locking in moisture and protecting it from damage. These findings suggest that lipid plays a selected role in skin regulation.
We found that this increase in lipid production is attributed to the formation of a kind of short-chain fatty acid. propionic acid. Propionic acid creates an acidic skin environment that gives quite a lot of advantages, including limiting pathogen growth, reducing staph infections and contributing to anti-inflammatory effects within the gut.
We also identified. Specific genes and receptors Regulates lipid synthesis through Blocking these components also blocks -stimulated lipid synthesis.
Overall, our findings highlight the necessary role that a standard skin bacterium and its chemical byproducts play within the formation of skin lipids.
Strengthening the skin barrier
Our research shows that propionic acid is Multiple beneficial effects On the skin barrier. For example, by increasing the lipid content of skin cells, propionic acid reduced water loss through the skin.
We also found that lipids produced by skin cells after exposure to propionic acid have antimicrobial effects against it. This suggests that the production of lipids helps to have a dual role: they not only control the presence on the skin, but additionally contribute to the general balance of the skin microbiome in order that one species of microbe doesn't dominate the remaining. Is.
In the complex interactions between the skin and its microbial inhabitants, ubiquitylation is emerging as a key player. Further research to raised understand the skin microbiome may result in latest treatments for skin conditions.