Basal cell carcinoma genetic susceptibility increases the rate of skin ageing: a Mendelian randomization study

Association between cathepsins and skin cancers: A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND

Several cathepsins have been identified as being involved in the development of cancer. Nevertheless, the connection between cathepsins and skin cancers remained highly elusive.

METHODS

A bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed to investigate the causal association between cathepsins and skin malignancies. The genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data for cathepsins, malignant melanoma (MM), and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) were obtained from European research. The primary method employed was inverse variance weighted. In addition, MR-Egger, weighted median, weighted mode, and simple mode were also executed. Sensitivity analysis was performed using Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger, and MR-PRESSO.

RESULTS

From univariable MR (UVMR), cathepsin H, and S were determined to have a causal relationship with BCC. Additionally, cathepsin H was identified as associated with MM. Multivariable MR (MVMR) showed that after correcting for risk factors of skin carcinoma, cathepsin H was detected to be protective against BCC, whereas cathepsin S has been observed as a risk factor for BCC. No substantial pleiotropy and heterogeneity were identified in the sensitivity analysis.

CONCLUSION

This study was the first to establish a direct link between cathepsins and skin malignancies. Cathepsin H and S have the potential to serve as new biomarkers for BCC, offering valuable assistance in the prompt identification, treatment, and prevention of the disease. Nevertheless, additional clinical trials are required to validate our findings.

Exploring the link between gut microbiota and alopecia areata: a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis

BACKGROUND

While observational studies have suggested a link between gut microbiota diversity and alopecia areata (AA), the causal relationship remains unclear.

METHODS

We leveraged data from the MiBioGen and FinnGen consortiums' Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) encompassing gut microbiota (n = 13,266) and AA (n = 211,428) datasets. A comprehensive Mendelian randomization (MR) and reverse MR approach were employed, utilizing five statistical methods to evaluate causality. Sensitivity analyses were also conducted to corroborate the MR results.

RESULTS

Inverse variance weighted (IVW) analysis indicated a protective effect against AA from Butyricimonas (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.18-0.77, P = 0.01), Enterorhabdus (OR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.16-0.95, P = 0.04), Eubacterium (xylanophilum group) (OR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.15-0.84, P = 0.02), and Phascolarctobacterium (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.15-0.91, P = 0.03), while Ruminococcaceae UCG003 posed as a risk factor (OR = 2.79, 95% CI: 1.27-6.14, P = 0.01). Reverse MR showed no significant causal link between AA and gut microbiota, with no significant heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy.

CONCLUSIONS

Our analysis suggests probable causality between certain gut microbiota and AA, shedding light on its pathogenesis and potential intervention strategies.

Assessment of relationships between bullous pemphigoid and neurological diseases: A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is the most prevalent autoimmune vesiculobullous skin illness that tends to affect the elderly. Growing evidence has hinted a correlation between BP and neurological diseases. However, existing observational studies contained inconsistent results, and the causality and direction of their relationship remain poorly understood. To assess the causal relationship between BP and neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease (PD), and stroke. A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) adopted independent top genetic variants as instruments from the largest accessible genome-wide association studies (GWASs), with BP (n = 218 348), PD (n = 482 730), AD (n = 63 926), stroke (n = 446 696), and MS (n = 115 803). Inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, weighted mode methods, weighted median, and simple mode were performed to explore the causal association. Multiple sensitivity analyses, MR-Pleiotropy Residual Sum and Outlier (PRESSO) was used to evaluate horizontal pleiotropy and remove outliers. With close-to-zero effect estimates, no causal impact of BP on the risk of the four neurological diseases was discovered. However, we found that MS was positively correlated with higher odds of BP (OR = 1.220, 95% CI: 1.058-1.408, p = 0.006), while no causal associations were observed between PD (OR = 0.821, 95% CI: 0.616-1.093, p = 0.176), AD (OR = 1.066, 95% CI: 0.873-1.358, p = 0.603), stroke (OR = 0.911, 95% CI: 0.485-1.713, p = 0.773) and odds of BP. In summary, no causal impact of BP on the risk of PD, AD, MS and stroke was detected in our MR analysis. However, reverse MR analysis identified that only MS was positively correlated with higher odds of BP, but not PD, AD and stroke.

Body mass index and the risk of basal cell carcinoma: evidence from Mendelian randomization analysis

Objective

We aim to test whether body mass index (BMI) is causally associated with the risk of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Methods

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with four BMI-related traits were screened via a genome-wide association study (GWAS) with 681,275, 336,107, 454,884, and 461,460 European-descent individuals, respectively. Summary-level data for BCC (17,416 cases and 375,455 controls) were extracted from UK Biobank. An inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was employed as the primary MR analysis. Sensitivity analyses were conducted via MR-Egger regression, heterogeneity test, pleiotropy test, and leave-one-out sensitivity test. The assumption that exposure causes outcome was verified using the MR Steiger test. Meta-analysis was also used to estimate the average genetically predicted effect of BMI on BCC.

Results

Two-sample MR analysis showed inverse associations between genetically predicted BMI and BCC risk. Moreover, when exposure and outcome were switched to see if reverse causation was possible, there was no evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship from BCC to BMI. Finally, the meta-analysis also showed a strong negative causal relationship between BMI and BCC.

Conclusion

Genetical predicted higher BMI were associated with lower BCC risk. Further research is required to comprehend the mechanisms underlying this putative causative association.

Ethosomes and their monotonous effects on Skin cancer disruption

Skin cancer is one of the most prominent diseases, affecting all continents worldwide, and has shown a significant rise in mortality and prevalence. Conventional therapy, including chemotherapy and surgery, has a few drawbacks. The ethosomal systems would be thoroughly reviewed in this compilation, and they would be classified based on constituents: classical ethosomes, binary ethosomes, and transethosomes. Ethosomes systems are model lipid vesicular carriers with a substantial portion of ethanol. The impacts of ethosomal system components, preparation techniques, and their major roles in selecting the final characteristics of these nanocarriers are comprehensively reviewed in this chapter. The special techniques for ethosomes, including the cold approach, hot approach, injection method, mechanical dispersion method, and conventional method, are explained in this chapter. Various evaluation parameters of ethosomes were also explained. Furthermore, ethosomal gels, patches, and creams can be emphasised as innovative pharmaceutical drug formulations. Some hybrid ethosomal vesicles possessing combinatorial cancer therapy using nanomedicine could overcome the current drug resistance of specific cancer cells. Through the use of repurpose therapy, phytoconstituents may be delivered more effectively. A wide range of in vivo models are employed to assess their effectiveness. Ethosomes have provided numerous potential skin cancer therapeutic approaches in the future.

TGF-β/VEGF-A Genetic Variants Interplay in Genetic Susceptibility to Non-Melanocytic Skin Cancer

Differential genetically determined expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β pathway and of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) might modulate the molecular “milieu” involved in the etio-pathogenesis of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). We have evaluated the frequency of some functionally relevant SNPs of TGF-β and VEGF-A genes in 70 NMSC patients and 161 healthy controls, typed for TGF-β1 rs1800471, TGF-β2 rs900, TGF-βR1 rs334348 and rs334349, TGF-βR2 rs4522809 and VEGF-A rs3025039 SNPs. TGF-βR2 rs1800629G allele and related genotypes were found to be associated with a possible protective role against NMSC, whereas VEGF-A rs3025039T was associated with an increased risk. To evaluate the effect of genotype combinations on NMSC susceptibility, we determined the frequencies of 31 pseudo-haplotypes due to non-random linkage among alleles of loci not lying on the same chromosome. Two pseudo-haplotypes that imply a minor allele of TGF-βR2 or minor allele of VEGF-A SNPs combined with major alleles of the other SNPs were, respectively, associated with a protective effect, and susceptibility to NMSC. In addition, a pseudo-haplotype involving minor alleles of TGF-β2 rs900, TGF-βR1 rs334348 and rs4522809 SNPs might be a susceptibility marker for NMSC. In conclusion, our data suggest that a complex interplay among the genetic polymorphisms of TGF-β, TGF-β receptors and VEGF-A genes might influence the net effect of genetic background of the patients on NMSC development. This might be relevant in the risk evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of NMSC.

Skin cancer biology and barriers to treatment: Recent applications of polymeric micro/nanostructures

Background

Skin cancer has been the leading type of cancer worldwide. Melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers are now the most common types of skin cancer that have been reached to epidemic proportion. Based on the rapid prevalence of skin cancers, and lack of efficient drug delivery systems, it is essential to surge the possible ways to prevent or cure the disease.

Aim of review

Although surgical modalities and therapies have been made great progress in recent years, however, there is still an urgent need to alleviate its increased burden. Hence, understanding the precise pathophysiological signaling mechanisms and all other factors of such skin insults will be beneficial for the development of more efficient therapies.

Key scientific concepts of review

In this review, we explained new understandings about onset and development of skin cancer and described its management via polymeric micro/nano carriers-based therapies, highlighting the current key bottlenecks and future prospective in this field. In therapeutic drug/gene delivery approaches, polymeric carriers-based system is the most promising strategy. This review discusses that how polymers have successfully been exploited for development of micro/nanosized systems for efficient delivery of anticancer genes and drugs overcoming all the barriers and limitations associated with available conventional therapies. In addition to drug/gene delivery, intelligent polymeric nanocarriers platforms have also been established for combination anticancer therapies including photodynamic and photothermal, and for theranostic applications. This portfolio of latest approaches could promote the blooming growth of research and their clinical availability.