[The Microbiome - The Unscheduled Parameter for Future Therapies]

[Impact of preservatives in topicals on the cutaneous microbiota]

Preservatives are used to stabilize topical preparations and protect the user from the influence of pathogenic microbes. After the application of a topical preparation, the matrix undergoes a metamorphosis, and by proportional evaporation of the hydrophilic phase the preservative may accumulate on the skin surface. This is believed to lead to antiseptic effects and may influence the diversity of the cutaneous microbiota. The regulation of the cutaneous microbiome and the associated influencing factors is a complex system that results in highly individualized conditions. Therefore, investigations on the influence of defined interventions are methodologically difficult. In the present proof-of-concept study, potential antiseptic effects of preservatives were investigated in a combination of in vitro and in vivo methods using microbiological culture tests. In addition, the investigations served to develop a clinical study design to answer further questions and use of an extended range of methods. The results support the hypothesis of an antiseptic effect of the tested preservatives (methyl-4-hydroxybenzoate and propyl-4-hydroxybenzoate, potassium sorbate and propylene glycol) on prominent reference bacteria, which could also be observed in clinical settings.

The Relevance of the Bacterial Microbiome, Archaeome and Mycobiome in Pediatric Asthma and Respiratory Disorders

Bacteria, as well as eukaryotes, principally fungi, of the upper respiratory tract play key roles in the etiopathogenesis of respiratory diseases, whereas the potential role of archaea remains poorly understood. In this review, we discuss the contribution of all three domains of cellular life to human naso- and oropharyngeal microbiomes, i.e., bacterial microbiota, eukaryotes (mostly fungi), as well as the archaeome and their relation to respiratory and atopic disorders in infancy and adolescence. With this review, we aim to summarize state-of-the-art contributions to the field published in the last decade. In particular, we intend to build bridges between basic and clinical science.

Improved Wound Healing of Airway Epithelial Cells Is Mediated by Cold Atmospheric Plasma: A Time Course-Related Proteome Analysis

The promising potential of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) treatment as a new therapeutic option in the field of medicine, particularly in Otorhinolaryngology and Respiratory medicine, demands primarily the assessment of potential risks and the prevention of any direct and future cell damages. Consequently, the application of a special intensity of CAP that is well tolerated by cells and tissues is of particular interest. Although improvement of wound healing by CAP treatment has been described, the underlying mechanisms and the molecular influences on human tissues are so far only partially characterized. In this study, human S9 bronchial epithelial cells were treated with cold plasma of atmospheric pressure plasma jet that was previously proven to accelerate the wound healing in a clinically relevant extent. We studied the detailed cellular adaptation reactions for a specified plasma intensity by time-resolved comparative proteome analyses of plasma treated vs. nontreated cells to elucidate the mechanisms of the observed improved wound healing and to define potential biomarkers and networks for the evaluation of plasma effects on human epithelial cells. K-means cluster analysis and time-related analysis of fold-change factors indicated concordantly clear differences between the short-term (up to 1 h) and long-term (24-72 h) adaptation reactions. Thus, the induction of Nrf2-mediated oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress response, PPAR-alpha/RXR activation as well as production of peroxisomes, and prevention of apoptosis already during the first hour after CAP treatment are important cell strategies to overcome oxidative stress and to protect and maintain cell integrity and especially microtubule dynamics. After resolving of stress, when stress adaptation was accomplished, the cells seem to start again with proliferation and cellular assembly and organization. The observed strategies and identification of marker proteins might explain the accelerated wound healing induced by CAP, and these indicators might be subsequently used for risk assessment and quality management of application of nonthermal plasma sources in clinical settings.