Smesny Stefan, Rosburg Timm, Klemm Silke, Riemann Sven, Baur Kati, Rudolph Nicole, Grunwald Sebastian, Sauer Heinrich
Department of Psychiatry, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Philosophenweg 3, D-07743 Jena, Germany.
J Psychiatr Res. 2004 Sep-Oct;38(5):537-43. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2004.01.007.
Investigation of abnormal skin response to niacin (vitamin B3) stimulation has gained increasing interest in schizophrenia research during last years. However, current efforts to implement niacin tests in routine diagnostics are jeopardised by wide inter-individual variations of skin response. We investigated age and gender as potential factors of influence on niacin sensitivity in 117 healthy subjects (63 male, 54 female). Niacin was applied in three dilution steps (0.1, 0.01, 0.001 M) onto the inner forearm skin. Skin reaction was assessed in three minute intervals over 15 min using optical reflection spectroscopy. Males displayed a significantly weaker flush response than females. The rate of non-responders at the lowest concentration was about twice as high in men than women. Significant negative correlations between age and niacin sensitivity were revealed for both sexes. Age and gender considerably influence niacin sensitivity, possibly due to the effects of sex hormones on vasomotor function and prostaglandin metabolism. Consideration of gender and age is strongly recommended for further clinical niacin studies.
近年来，对烟酸（维生素B3）刺激引起的皮肤异常反应的研究在精神分裂症研究中越来越受到关注。然而，目前在常规诊断中进行烟酸测试的努力因个体间皮肤反应的广泛差异而受到影响。我们在117名健康受试者（63名男性，54名女性）中研究了年龄和性别作为影响烟酸敏感性的潜在因素。将烟酸以三个稀释步骤（0.1、0.01、0.001 M）涂抹于前臂内侧皮肤。使用光学反射光谱法在15分钟内每隔三分钟评估一次皮肤反应。男性的潮红反应明显弱于女性。在最低浓度下，男性无反应者的比例约为女性的两倍。两性的年龄与烟酸敏感性之间均显示出显著的负相关。年龄和性别对烟酸敏感性有相当大的影响，这可能是由于性激素对血管运动功能和前列腺素代谢的影响。强烈建议在进一步的临床烟酸研究中考虑性别和年龄因素。
