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Barrier Function of Skin and Oral Mucosa 2.0
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Barrier Function of Skin and Oral Mucosa 2.0

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 21410

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Philip W. Wertz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dows Institute for Dental Research, College of Dentistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52240, USA
Interests: skin; epidermis; stratum corneum; barrier function; lipids; ceramides
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Skin and oral mucosa have superficial permeability barriers that protect underlying viable tissue. Due to their physical properties, these barriers limit penetration of harmful substances.

In skin, stratum corneum (SC) is produced. SC cells are flat and are bounded by a cornified envelope (CE) consisting of polymerized proteins. The outer surface of the CE is coated by a monolayer of ω-hydroxyceramides (CLE). Between the CLEs of adjacent cell layers is a mixture of ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids. The CLE and the intercellular lipids form multilamellar structures that determine the permeability of the skin.

In oral mucosa, the gingiva and hard palate produce SC. These regions do not have CLE, and intercellular lipid levels are lower. Buccal regions and the underside of the tongue are nonkeratinized. These regions do not produce SC. There is some evidence that lipid structures within the intercellular spaces may provide the barrier.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to present the current perspectives on the barrier function of skin and oral mucosa. Original research articles and reviews are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Philip W. Wertz
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • barrier function
  • ceramides
  • cholesterol
  • corneocyte lipid envelope
  • fatty acids
  • hexagonal packing
  • long periodicity phase
  • mucosa
  • orthorombic packing
  • short periodicity phase
  • skin
  • stratum corneum
  • buccal absorption
  • cubic phase
  • electron microscopy
  • lamellar phase
  • permeability enhancement
  • permeation

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 167 KiB  
Editorial
Synopsis of Barrier Function of Skin and Mucosa—Volume 2
by Philip W. Wertz
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(18), 13690; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms241813690 - 05 Sep 2023
Viewed by 599
Abstract
This is an attempt to briefly summarize the contributions to this second Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences on the barrier function of the skin and the oral mucosa [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Barrier Function of Skin and Oral Mucosa 2.0)

Research

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19 pages, 3259 KiB  
Article
Bacterial Cellulose—Carboxymethylcellulose Composite Loaded with Turmeric Extract for Antimicrobial Wound Dressing Applications
by Gabriela Isopencu, Iuliana Deleanu, Cristina Busuioc, Ovidiu Oprea, Vasile-Adrian Surdu, Mihaela Bacalum, Roberta Stoica and Anicuţa Stoica-Guzun
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(2), 1719; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms24021719 - 15 Jan 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2645
Abstract
Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a biopolymer whose properties have been intensively studied, especially for biomedical applications. Since BC has no antimicrobial activity, it is necessary to use bioactive substances for developing wound healing applications. Another drawback of BC is the loss if its [...] Read more.
Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a biopolymer whose properties have been intensively studied, especially for biomedical applications. Since BC has no antimicrobial activity, it is necessary to use bioactive substances for developing wound healing applications. Another drawback of BC is the loss if its water retention capacity after dehydration. In order to overcome these problems, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and turmeric extract (TE) were selected for the preparation of BC composites. Citric acid (CA) was used as the crosslinking agent. These composites were tested as potential antimicrobial wound dressing materials. TE-loaded BC–CMC composites were characterized in terms of their morphology, crystallinity, and thermal behavior. Swelling tests and curcumin-release kinetic analysis were also performed. All the composites tested had high swelling degrees, which is an advantage for the exudate adsorption from chronic wounds. The antibacterial potential of such composites was tested against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and Candida albicans (C. albicans). The in vitro cytotoxicity toward L929 fibroblast cells was studied as well. The obtained results allow us to recommend these composites as good candidates for wound dressing applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Barrier Function of Skin and Oral Mucosa 2.0)
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17 pages, 3024 KiB  
Article
The Fate of Epidermal Tight Junctions in the stratum corneum: Their Involvement in the Regulation of Desquamation and Phenotypic Expression of Certain Skin Conditions
by Marek Haftek, Vinzenz Oji, Laurence Feldmeyer, Daniel Hohl, Smaïl Hadj-Rabia and Rawad Abdayem
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(13), 7486; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23137486 - 05 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2188
Abstract
We evaluated the presence of tight junction (TJ) remnants in the stratum corneum (SC) of in vitro reconstructed human epidermis and human skin explants subjected or not to an aggressive topical treatment with beta-lipohydroxy salicylic acid (LSA) for 24 h. LSA-treated samples showed [...] Read more.
We evaluated the presence of tight junction (TJ) remnants in the stratum corneum (SC) of in vitro reconstructed human epidermis and human skin explants subjected or not to an aggressive topical treatment with beta-lipohydroxy salicylic acid (LSA) for 24 h. LSA-treated samples showed an increased presence of TJ remnants in the two lowermost layers of the SC, as quantified with standard electron microscopy. The topical aggression-induced overexpression of TJ-like cell–cell envelope fusions may influence SC functions: (1) directly, through an enhanced cohesion, and (2) indirectly, by impeding accessibility of peripheral corneodesmosomes to extracellular hydrolytic enzymes and, thus, slowing down desquamation. Observations of ichthyotic epidermis in peeling skin disease (PSD; corneodesmosin deficiency; two cases) and ichthyosis hypotrichosis sclerosing cholangitis syndrome (IHSC/NISCH; absence of claudin-1; two cases) also demonstrated increased persistence of TJ-like intercellular fusions in pathological SC and contributed to the interpretation of the diseases’ pathological mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Barrier Function of Skin and Oral Mucosa 2.0)
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10 pages, 28392 KiB  
Article
Lithosepermic Acid Restored the Skin Barrier Functions in the Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis-like Animal Model
by Li-Ching Chen, Yu-Ping Cheng, Chih-Yi Liu and Jiun-Wen Guo
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(11), 6172; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23116172 - 31 May 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1737
Abstract
(1) Background: Psoriasis is a T helper 1/T helper 17 cells-involved immune-mediated genetic disease. Lithospermic acid, one of the major phenolic acid compounds of Danshen, has antioxidation and anti-inflammation abilities. Due to the inappropriate molecular weight for topical penetration through the stratum corneum, [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Psoriasis is a T helper 1/T helper 17 cells-involved immune-mediated genetic disease. Lithospermic acid, one of the major phenolic acid compounds of Danshen, has antioxidation and anti-inflammation abilities. Due to the inappropriate molecular weight for topical penetration through the stratum corneum, lithospermic acid was loaded into the well-developed microemulsion delivery system for IMQ-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis treatment. (2) Methods: BALB/c mice were administered with topical imiquimod to induce psoriasis-like dermatitis. Skin barrier function, disease severity, histology assessment, autophagy-related protein expression, and skin and spleen cytokine expression were evaluated. (3) Results: The morphology, histopathology, and skin barrier function results showed that 0.1% lithospermic acid treatment ameliorated the IMQ-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis and restored the skin barrier function. The cytokines array results confirmed that 0.1% lithospermic acid treatment inhibited the cutaneous T helper-17/Interleukin-23 axis related cytokines cascades. (4) Conclusions: The results implied that lithospermic acid might represent a possible new therapeutic agent for psoriasis treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Barrier Function of Skin and Oral Mucosa 2.0)
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Review

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14 pages, 1361 KiB  
Review
Breaking the Gingival Barrier in Periodontitis
by Ljubomir Vitkov, Jeeshan Singh, Christine Schauer, Bernd Minnich, Jelena Krunić, Hannah Oberthaler, Sonja Gamsjaeger, Martin Herrmann, Jasmin Knopf and Matthias Hannig
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(5), 4544; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms24054544 - 25 Feb 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2820
Abstract
The break of the epithelial barrier of gingiva has been a subject of minor interest, albeit playing a key role in periodontal pathology, transitory bacteraemia, and subsequent systemic low-grade inflammation (LGI). The significance of mechanically induced bacterial translocation in gingiva (e.g., via mastication [...] Read more.
The break of the epithelial barrier of gingiva has been a subject of minor interest, albeit playing a key role in periodontal pathology, transitory bacteraemia, and subsequent systemic low-grade inflammation (LGI). The significance of mechanically induced bacterial translocation in gingiva (e.g., via mastication and teeth brushing) has been disregarded despite the accumulated knowledge of mechanical force effects on tight junctions (TJs) and subsequent pathology in other epithelial tissues. Transitory bacteraemia is observed as a rule in gingival inflammation, but is rarely observed in clinically healthy gingiva. This implies that TJs of inflamed gingiva deteriorate, e.g., via a surplus of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), bacterial proteases, toxins, Oncostatin M (OSM), and neutrophil proteases. The inflammation-deteriorated gingival TJs rupture when exposed to physiological mechanical forces. This rupture is characterised by bacteraemia during and briefly after mastication and teeth brushing, i.e., it appears to be a dynamic process of short duration, endowed with quick repair mechanisms. In this review, we consider the bacterial, immune, and mechanical factors responsible for the increased permeability and break of the epithelial barrier of inflamed gingiva and the subsequent translocation of both viable bacteria and bacterial LPS during physiological mechanical forces, such as mastication and teeth brushing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Barrier Function of Skin and Oral Mucosa 2.0)
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13 pages, 911 KiB  
Review
Protective Barriers Provided by the Epidermis
by Sarah de Szalay and Philip W. Wertz
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(4), 3145; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms24043145 - 05 Feb 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2530
Abstract
The skin is the largest organ of the body and consists of an epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous adipose tissue. The skin surface area is often stated to be about 1.8 to 2 m2 and represents our interface with the environment; however, when [...] Read more.
The skin is the largest organ of the body and consists of an epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous adipose tissue. The skin surface area is often stated to be about 1.8 to 2 m2 and represents our interface with the environment; however, when one considers that microorganisms live in the hair follicles and can enter sweat ducts, the area that interacts with this aspect of the environment becomes about 25–30 m2. Although all layers of the skin, including the adipose tissue, participate in antimicrobial defense, this review will focus mainly on the role of the antimicrobial factors in the epidermis and at the skin surface. The outermost layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum, is physically tough and chemically inert which protects against numerous environmental stresses. It provides a permeability barrier which is attributable to lipids in the intercellular spaces between the corneocytes. In addition to the permeability barrier, there is an innate antimicrobial barrier at the skin surface which involves antimicrobial lipids, peptides and proteins. The skin surface has a low surface pH and is poor in certain nutrients, which limits the range of microorganisms that can survive there. Melanin and trans-urocanic acid provide protection from UV radiation, and Langerhans cells in the epidermis are poised to monitor the local environment and to trigger an immune response as needed. Each of these protective barriers will be discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Barrier Function of Skin and Oral Mucosa 2.0)
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14 pages, 561 KiB  
Review
Skin Barrier Function and the Microbiome
by Hyun-Ji Lee and Miri Kim
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(21), 13071; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms232113071 - 28 Oct 2022
Cited by 40 | Viewed by 8018
Abstract
Human skin is the largest organ and serves as the first line of defense against environmental factors. The human microbiota is defined as the total microbial community that coexists in the human body, while the microbiome refers to the collective genome of these [...] Read more.
Human skin is the largest organ and serves as the first line of defense against environmental factors. The human microbiota is defined as the total microbial community that coexists in the human body, while the microbiome refers to the collective genome of these microorganisms. Skin microbes do not simply reside on the skin but interact with the skin in a variety of ways, significantly affecting the skin barrier function. Here, we discuss recent insights into the symbiotic relationships between the microbiome and the skin barrier in physical, chemical, and innate/adaptive immunological ways. We discuss the gut-skin axis that affects skin barrier function. Finally, we examine the effects of microbiome dysbiosis on skin barrier function and the role of these effects in inflammatory skin diseases, such as acne, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis. Microbiome cosmetics can help restore skin barrier function and improve these diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Barrier Function of Skin and Oral Mucosa 2.0)
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