Global warming and other environmental changes may be contributing to rising rates of epithelial barrier dysfunction and atopic dermatitis (AD).
This is among the main messages from research published in a themed issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
When the epithelial barrier is disrupted, it facilitates the entry of the external exposome into and underneath the epithelium, triggering an expulsion response driven by inflammatory cells in the area, and leading to chronic inflammation, according to research.
These changes are associated with microbial dysbiosis with colonizing opportunistic pathogens and decreased commensals, which are key mechanisms in the pathogenesis of numerous chronic inflammatory disorders, explains study author Cezmi A. Akdis, MD, of the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research in Davos Wolfgang, Switzerland.
Dr. Akdis and colleagues report that this impaired mechanistic function could account for two billion patients with allergic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative diseases.
“Exogeneous agents affecting epithelial integrity should be better defined, and methods to protect or restore the integrity of epithelial barriers could represent a potential strategy against these disorders,”they conclude.
Climate Change and AD
Cold and low temperatures induce the production of proinflammatory cytokines, deficiency of epidermal barrier proteins, and skin barrier dysfunction in a transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV1)-dependent manner, according to another paper in this issue of the journal.
TRPV antagonists may attenuate temperature-mediated itch, skin barrier dysfunction, and exacerbation of AD, conclude researchers led by Donald Y.M. Leung, MD, PhD, a Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, allergist, and immunologist at National Jewish Health in Denver.
