Systematic review focusing on the excretion and protection roles of sweat in the skin

Potential impact of underlying diseases influencing ADME in nonclinical safety assessment

Nonclinical studies involve in vitro, in silico, and in vivo experiments to assess the toxicokinetics, toxicology, and safety pharmacology of drugs according to regulatory requirements by a national or international authority. In this review, we summarize the potential effects of various underlying diseases governing the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of drugs to consider the use of animal models of diseases in nonclinical trials. Obesity models showed alterations in hepatic metabolizing enzymes, transporters, and renal pathophysiology, which increase the risk of drug-induced toxicity. Diabetes models displayed changes in hepatic metabolizing enzymes, transporters, and glomerular filtration rates (GFR), leading to variability in drug responses and susceptibility to toxicity. Animal models of advanced age exhibited impairment of drug metabolism and kidney function, thereby reducing the drug-metabolizing capacity and clearance. Along with changes in hepatic metabolic enzymes, animal models of metabolic syndrome-related hypertension showed renal dysfunction, resulting in a reduced GFR and urinary excretion of drugs. Taken together, underlying diseases can induce dysfunction of organs involved in the ADME of drugs, ultimately affecting toxicity. Therefore, the use of animal models of representative underlying diseases in nonclinical toxicity studies can be considered to improve the predictability of drug side effects before clinical trials.

Sweat Protects against Contact Hypersensitivity: Transient Sweat Suppression Compromises Skin Barrier Function in Mice

Although subtle barrier defects may facilitate allergen penetration, thereby enabling allergic sensitization, the relationship between sweating disturbance and skin barrier function is unknown. However, many studies on contact hypersensitivity in mice examined ear skin, which does not sweat, instead of the footpad, where sweating is uniquely present. In this study, we assessed whether sweat suppression in the footpad before hapten application provoked a skin barrier abnormality and reduced inflammatory thresholds to topical haptens. Mice without any genetic skin barrier dysfunction displayed markedly reduced inflammatory thresholds to haptens under transient sweat suppression before hapten application. Epicutaneously applied haptens penetrated the skin more robustly in the presence of sweat suppression compared with that in its absence, although this increase was abolished by exposure to high-humidity conditions. These mice displayed a subtle atopic dermatitis-like inflammation mediated by type 2 response-dominant inflammation and increased IgE responses, mimicking some events occurring in nonlesional atopic dermatitis skin in humans and in murine models. These lesions were dramatically attenuated by exposure to high-humidity conditions. In our model, hapten sensitization does not require mechanical injury, explaining why sensitization occurs through nonlesional atopic dermatitis skin. Awareness of the importance of preserving sweating responses is essential to prevent occupational contact dermatitis and atopic dermatitis.

The fabrication of the chitosan-based bioink for in vitro tissue repair and regeneration: A review

The repair and regeneration of the injured tissues or organs is a major challenge for biomedicine, and the emerging 3D bioprinting technology as a class of promising techniques in biomedical research for the development of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Chitosan-based bioinks, as the natural biomaterials, are considered as ideal materials for 3D bioprinting to design and fabricate the various scaffold due to their unique dynamic reversibility and fantastic biological properties. Our review aims to provide an overview of chitosan-based bioinks for in vitro tissue repair and regeneration, starting from modification of chitosan that affect these bioprinting processes. In addition, we summarize the advances in chitosan-based bioinks used in the various 3D printing strategies. Moreover, the biomedical applications of chitosan-based bioinks are discussed, primarily centered on regenerative medicine and tissue modeling engineering. Finally, current challenges and future opportunities in this field are discussed. The combination of chitosan-based bioinks and 3D bioprinting will hold promise for developing novel biomedical scaffolds for tissue or organ repair and regeneration.

Organ uptake, toxicity and skin clearance of ruthenium contrast agents monitored in vivo by x-ray fluorescence

Aims: To investigate the distribution and toxicity of ruthenium nanoparticles (Ru NPs) injected intravenously in mice. Methods: We synthesized Ru NPs, followed their biodistribution by x-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging and evaluated organ toxicity by histopathology and gene expression. Results: Ru NPs accumulated, mainly in liver and spleen, where they were phagocyted by tissue macrophages, giving a transient inflammation and oxidative stress response that declined after 2 weeks. Ru NPs gradually accumulated in the skin, which was confirmed by microscopic examination of skin biopsies. Conclusion: Ru NP toxicity in recipient organs is transient. Particles are at least partially excreted by the skin, supporting a role for the skin as a nanoparticle clearing organ.

Enhancement of Nitric Oxide Bioavailability by Modulation of Cutaneous Nitric Oxide Stores

The generation of nitric oxide (NO) in the skin plays a critical role in wound healing and the response to several stimuli, such as UV exposure, heat, infection, and inflammation. Furthermore, in the human body, NO is involved in vascular homeostasis and the regulation of blood pressure. Physiologically, a family of enzymes termed nitric oxide synthases (NOS) generates NO. In addition, there are many methods of non-enzymatic/NOS-independent NO generation, e.g., the reduction of NO derivates (NODs) such as nitrite, nitrate, and nitrosylated proteins under certain conditions. The skin is the largest and heaviest human organ and contains a comparatively high concentration of these NODs; therefore, it represents a promising target for many therapeutic strategies for NO-dependent pathological conditions. In this review, we give an overview of how the cutaneous NOD stores can be targeted and modulated, leading to a further accumulation of NO-related compounds and/or the local and systemic release of bioactive NO, and eventually, NO-related physiological effects with a potential therapeutical use for diseases such as hypertension, disturbed microcirculation, impaired wound healing, and skin infections.

Foxa1 mediates eccrine sweat gland development through transcriptional regulation of Na-K-ATPase expression

Eccrine sweat glands (ESGs) perform critical functions in temperature regulation in humans. Foxa1 plays an important role in ESG maturation and sweat secretion. Its molecular mechanism, however, remains unknown. This study investigated the expression of Foxa1 and Na-K-ATPase (NKA) in rat footpads at different development stages using immunofluorescence staining, qRT-PCR, and immunoblotting. Also, bioinformatics analysis and Foxa1 overexpression and silencing were employed to evaluate Foxa1 regulation of NKA. The results demonstrated that Foxa1 was consistently expressed during the late stages of ESGs and had a significant role in secretory coil maturation during sweat secretion. Furthermore, the mRNA abundance and protein expression of NKA had similar accumulation trends to those of Foxa1, confirming their underlying connections. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that Foxa1 may interact with these two proteins via binding to conserved motifs in their promoter regions. Foxa1 gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments in Foxa1-modified cells demonstrated that the activities of NKA were dependent on the presence of Foxa1. Collectively, these data provided evidence that Foxa1 may influence ESG development through transcriptional regulation of NKA expression.

A Wearable Nutrition Tracker

Nutrients are essential for the healthy development and proper maintenance of body functions in humans. For adequate nourishment, it is important to keep track of nutrients level in the body, apart from consuming sufficient nutrition that is in line with dietary guidelines. Sweat, which contains rich chemical information, is an attractive biofluid for routine non-invasive assessment of nutrient levels. Herein, a wearable sensor that can selectively measure vitamin C concentration in biofluids, including sweat, urine, and blood is developed. Detection through an electrochemical sensor modified with Au nanostructures, LiClO₄ -doped conductive polymer, and an enzymes-immobilized membrane is utilized to achieve wide detection linearity, high selectivity, and long-term stability. The sensor allows monitoring of temporal changes in vitamin C levels. The effect of vitamin C intake on the sweat and urine profile is explored by monitoring concentration changes upon consuming different amounts of vitamin C. A longitudinal study of sweat's and urine's vitamin C correlation with blood is performed on two individuals. The results suggest that sweat and urine analysis can be a promising method to routinely monitor nutrition through the sweat sensor and that this sensor can facilitate applications such as nutritional screening and dietary intervention.

The emerging potential of cold atmospheric plasma in skin biology

The maintenance of skin integrity is crucial to ensure the physiological barrier against exogenous compounds, microorganisms and dehydration but also to fulfill social and aesthetic purposes. Besides the development of new actives intended to enter a formulation, innovative technologies based on physical principles have been proposed in the last years. Among them, Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) technology, which already showed interesting results in dermatology, is currently being studied for its potential in skin treatments and cares. CAP bio-medical studies gather several different expertise ranging from physics to biology through chemistry and biochemistry, making this topic hard to pin. In this review we provide a broad survey of the interactions between CAP and skin. In the first section, we tried to give some fundamentals on skin structure and physiology, related to its essential functions, together with the main bases on cold plasma and its physicochemical properties. In the following parts we dissected and analyzed each CAP parameter to highlight the already known and the possible effects they can play on skin. This overview aims to get an idea of the potential of cold atmospheric plasma technology in skin biology for the future developments of dermo-cosmetic treatments, for example in aging prevention.

Differences in subjective and objective evaluation of hyperhidrosis. Study among medical students

Introduction

Hyperhidrosis is a condition that significantly impairs patients’ quality of life. Qualification for treatment in most cases is based only on subjective evaluation of symptoms without objective confirmation.

Aim

To evaluate the differences between subjective and objective evaluation of sweating among medical students.

Material and methods

There were 179 participants involved in the study. Subjective evaluation of sweating was conducted using the Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale and Numeric Rating Scale in 4 body areas: the face, palms, armpits and abdomino-lumbar area. Objective evaluation of sweating was performed using gravimetry.

Results

The prevalence of hyperhidrosis in gravimetric measures was 1.12%. In subjective evaluation hyperhidrosis (HDSS 3 or 4) was present in 11.17% of cases. There was no significant difference in subjective evaluation of hyperhidrosis between men and women (15% vs. 9.24%; p = 0.32). In gravimetry men showed a higher perspiration rate on the face (5.85 vs. 3.38; p < 0.05) and in the armpits (17.27 vs. 9.12; p < 0.05). Individuals with body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m² reported hyperhidrosis more often (28% vs. 8.44%; p < 0.05); however, in gravimetric evaluation, beside the facial area, no significant differences in above-mentioned groups were observed.

Conclusions

There is a discrepancy between subjective and objective methods of evaluating sweating.

Sweat gland regeneration: Current strategies and future opportunities

For patients with extensive skin defects, loss of sweat glands (SwGs) greatly decreases their quality of life. Indeed, difficulties in thermoregulation, ion reabsorption, and maintaining fluid balance might render them susceptible to hyperthermia, heatstroke, or even death. Despite extensive studies on the stem cell biology of the skin in recent years, in-situ regeneration of SwGs with both structural and functional fidelity is still challenging because of the limited regenerative capacity and cell fate control of resident progenitors. To overcome these challenges, one must consider both the intrinsic factors relevant to genetic and epigenetic regulation and cues from the cellular microenvironment. Here, we describe recent progress in molecular biology, developmental pathways, and cellular evolution associated with SwGdevelopment and maturation. This is followed by a summary of the current strategies used for cell-fate modulation, transmembrane drug delivery, and scaffold design associated with SwGregeneration. Finally, we offer perspectives for creating more sophisticated systems to accelerate patients' innate healing capacity and developing engineered skin constructs to treat or replace damaged tissues structurally and functionally.

Eccrine Sweat as a Biofluid for Profiling Immune Biomarkers

Purpose

Sweat is a relatively unexplored biofluid for diagnosis and monitoring of disease states. In this study, the proteomic profiling of immune‐related biomarkers from healthy individuals are presented.

Experimental Design

Eccrine sweat samples are collected from 50 healthy individuals. LC‐MS/MS is performed on two pools of sweat samples from five male and female participants. Individual sweat samples are analyzed by antibody isotyping microarrays (n = 49), human cytokine arrays (n = 30), and quantitative ELISAs for interleukin‐1α (n = 16), epidermal growth factor (n = 6), and angiogenin (n = 7).

Results

In sweat, 220 unique proteins are identified by shotgun analysis. Detectable antibody isotypes include IgA (100% positive; median 1230 ± 28 700 pg mL⁻¹), IgD (18%; 22.0 ± 119 pg mL⁻¹), IgG1 (96%; 1640 ± 6750 pg mL⁻¹), IgG2 (37%; 292 ± 6810 pg mL⁻¹), IgG3 (71%; 74.0 ± 119 pg mL⁻¹), IgG4 (69%; 43.0 ± 42.0 pg mL⁻¹), and IgM (41%; 69.0 ± 1630 pg mL⁻¹). Of 42 cytokines, three are readily detected in all sweat samples (p < 0.01). The median concentration for interleukin‐1α is 352 ± 521 pg mL⁻¹, epidermal growth factor is 86.5 ± 147 pg mL⁻¹, and angiogenin is 38.3 ± 96.3 pg mL⁻¹. Multiple other cytokines are detected at lower levels.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

Sweat can be used for profiling antibodies and innate immune biomarkers.

Regulation of epithelial ion transport in exocrine glands by store-operated Ca2+ entry

Store-operated Ca²⁺ entry (SOCE) is a conserved mechanism of Ca²⁺ influx that regulates Ca²⁺ signaling in many cell types. SOCE is activated by depletion of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca²⁺ stores in response to physiological agonist stimulation. After it was first postulated by J.W. Putney Jr. in 1986, SOCE has been described in a large number of non-excitable cell types including secretory cells of different exocrine glands. Here we discuss the mechanisms by which SOCE controls salt and fluid secretion in exocrine glands, with a special focus on eccrine sweat glands. In sweat glands, SOCE plays an important, non-redundant role in regulating the function of Ca²⁺-activated Cl^- channels (CaCC), Cl^- secretion and sweat production. In the absence of key regulators of SOCE such as the CRAC channel pore subunit ORAI1 and its activator STIM1, the Ca²⁺-activated chloride channel TMEM16A is inactive and fails to secrete Cl^-, resulting in anhidrosis in mice and human patients.

Excretory Function of Intestinal Tract Enhanced in Kidney Impaired Rats Caused by Adenine

The main aim of the study was to prove the compensative effect of intestine for renal function. Rat kidney was impaired by intragastrically administrating adenine (400 mg per day for 5 days). Intestinal tract was harvested and equally divided into 20 segments except cecum. Kidneys were harvested and histologically examined with hematoxylin-eosin staining kits. Uric acid, urea (BUN), and creatinine in serum were determined with assay kits, and BUN and creatinine in every intestinal segment were also determined. The results showed that adenine was able to increase uric acid level in serum from 20.98 ± 6.98 μg/mL to 40.77 ± 7.52 μg/mL and cause renal function damage with BUN (from 3.87 ± 0.62 mM to 12.33 ± 3.27 mM) and creatinine (from 51.48 ± 6.98 μM to 118.25 ± 28.63 μM) increasing in serum and with abnormally micromorphological changes in kidney. The amount of BUN and creatinine distributed in intestinal tract was positively correlated with those in blood. In impaired renal function rats, the amount of BUN (from 4.26 ± 0.21 μMole to 10.72 ± 0.55 μMole) and creatinine (from 681.4 ± 23.3 nMole to 928.7 ± 21.3 nMole) distributed in intestinal tract significantly increased. All the results proved that intestinal tract had excretory function compensative for renal function.

Role of CFTR in epithelial physiology

Salt and fluid absorption and secretion are two processes that are fundamental to epithelial function and whole body fluid homeostasis, and as such are tightly regulated in epithelial tissues. The CFTR anion channel plays a major role in regulating both secretion and absorption in a diverse range of epithelial tissues, including the airways, the GI and reproductive tracts, sweat and salivary glands. It is not surprising then that defects in CFTR function are linked to disease, including life-threatening secretory diarrhoeas, such as cholera, as well as the inherited disease, cystic fibrosis (CF), one of the most common life-limiting genetic diseases in Caucasian populations. More recently, CFTR dysfunction has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the hyper-responsiveness in asthma, underscoring its fundamental role in whole body health and disease. CFTR regulates many mechanisms in epithelial physiology, such as maintaining epithelial surface hydration and regulating luminal pH. Indeed, recent studies have identified luminal pH as an important arbiter of epithelial barrier function and innate defence, particularly in the airways and GI tract. In this chapter, we will illustrate the different operational roles of CFTR in epithelial function by describing its characteristics in three different tissues: the airways, the pancreas, and the sweat gland.

Photoletter to the editor: Acquired idiopathic generalized anhidrosis

Anhidrosis is a failure in sweat production in response to physiological thermal or chemical stimuli. Acquired idiopathic generalized anhidrosis is a rare disorder without sweat gland pathology and without neurologic symptoms. Most cases have been reported from Far East. We report a case of a 58-year-old Caucasian male who suffered from heat intolerance, heat-induced cutaneous burning and failed to sweat even in sauna for five years. A skin biopsy disclosed no pathologies. He had no neurologic disorders. The diagnosis of acquired idiopathic generalized anhidrosis was confirmed and treatment with methylprednisolone initiated. This led to improvement of heat tolerance, remission of burning and partial remission of sweating.