Application of topical Sandalore ® increases epidermal dermcidin synthesis in organ-cultured human skin ex vivo.

Introduction: Several olfactory receptors (ORs) are expressed in human skin, where they regulate skin pigmentation, barrier function, wound healing, and hair growth. Previously, we found that the selective activation of OR family 2 subfamily AT member 4 (OR2AT4) by the synthetic, sandalwood-like odorant, Sandalore ®, differentially stimulates the expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in human scalp hair follicle epithelium ex vivo. As OR2AT4 is also expressed by epidermal keratinocytes, we hypothesized that it may modulate intraepidermal AMP synthesis, thereby contributing to skin microbiome management . Methods: We investigated this hypothesis in organ-cultured human skin in presence of Sandalore® and antibiotics and evaluated epidermal production of two AMPs, LL37 (cathelicidin) and dermcidin (DCD), as well as OR2AT4, by quantitative immunohistomorphometry. Moreover, we quantified DCD secretion into the culture medium by ELISA, and studied the effect of culture medium on selected bacterial and fungal strains. Results: Topical application of Sandalore® to organ-cultured human skin increased OR2AT4 protein expression, number of DCD-positive intraepidermal cells, and DCD secretion into cult ure media, without significantly affecting epidermal LL37 expression. In line with the significantly increased secretion of DCD into the culture medium, we demonstrated, in a spectrophotometric assay, that application of conditioned media from Sandalore®-treated skin promotes Stap...
Source: Skin Pharmacology and Physiology - Category: Dermatology Source Type: research