665 Nail lesions in 30 old inbred mouse strains

Abstract

Introduction: Pregnancy is a particular physiological state inducing major changes to the woman skin. Previous work showed that areas like abdomen, subjected to a high mechanical stress, are greatly impacted from a mechanical point of view. Other properties of this area are certainly impacted, among which the hydration and the barrier function. The goal of our study is to evaluate the impact of pregnancy on these two properties on the abdomen using a non invasive biochemical approach. Methods: A clinical study has been conducted on 15 nonpregnant women and 26 pregnant women at the 8 th month of pregnancy and 4 months after delivery. Skin surface samples have been collected from the abdomen using swab technique. Natural Moisturizing Factors (NMF) quantity and ceramide content have been quantified by LC/UV and LC/MS respectively. Results: Concerning the hydration state, the results show that the amount of NMF is significantly lower in pregnant women than in non-pregnant women. In pregnant women after delivery, NMF quantity tended to be lower than in non pregnant women, although not significantly. Our results also show that the amount of ceramides was significantly lower in pregnant women than in non pregnant women, and remained significantly lower after delivery. Conclusion: The abdomen skin is critically affected by the pregnancy state. Skin hydration and barrier function tended to be affected not only during pregnancy but also 4 months after delivery.