Ceramide AD™ Restores Skin Integrity and Function following Exposure to House Dust Mite

Abstract

Ceramides are epidermal lipids important for normal skin barrier function. Reduced Ceramide content is associated with atopic dermatitis (AD). House dust mite (HDM) has been localized in AD skin where it plays an exacerbator role. We set to examine the impact of HDM on skin integrity and the effect of three separate Ceramides (AD™, DS, Y30) on HDM-induced cutaneous damage. The effect was tested in vitro on primary human keratinocytes and ex vivo on skin explants. HDM (100 μg/mL) decreased the expression of adhesion protein E-cadherin, supra-basal (K1, K10) and basal (K5, K14) keratins and increased matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)-9 activity. The presence of Ceramide AD™ in topical cream inhibited HDM-induced E-cadherin and keratin destruction and dampened MMP-9 activity ex vivo which was not seen for the control cream or cream containing DS or Y30 Ceramides. The efficacy of Ceramide AD™ was tested in a clinical setting on moderate to very dry skin (as surrogate for environment-induced skin damage). When applied topically for 21 days, Ceramide AD™ significantly reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) in patients with very dry skin compared to their TEWL baseline data. Our study demonstrates Ceramide AD™ cream to be effective in restoring skin homeostasis and barrier function in damaged skin and warrants testing in larger clinical trials for possible treatment of AD and xerosis.

The Role of Sphingolipids and Sphingosine-1-phosphate—Sphingosine-1-phosphate-receptor Signaling in Psoriasis

“…Decreased acyl ceramide and non-hydroxy acyl 4-hydroxydihydrosphingosine (phytosphingosine), along with changes in a ceramide fatty acid chain length, affect lipid packing and the lamellar structure in the stratum corneum, causing the conditions found in several common skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis [20]. As epidermal ceramide is an important molecule for maintaining the skin barrier function, various ceramidecontaining moisturizers have been developed, and their effects have been studied [47][48][49][50][51]. Hence, alterations to ceramides, in addition to their metabolites, can lead to a variety of skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, Netherton syndrome, psoriasis, and ichthyosis, in which the skin barrier function is greatly affected [52][53][54].…”

Key Factors in the Complex and Coordinated Network of Skin Keratinization: Their Significance and Involvement in Common Skin Conditions

“…This differs from conditions like psoriasis, where hyperkeratosis results from increased basal layer proliferation driven by an underlying immune-related pathology [14]. Hyperkeratosis and its differential diagnoses encompass a wide range of conditions, including palmoplantar keratodermas, ichthyoses, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, calluses and corns, seborrheic keratosis, nonmelanoma skin cancers, and others [67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75].…”