Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, London WC1N 1AX, UK.
Br J Dermatol. 2011 Jun;164(6):1304-10. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2011.10338.x.
Aqueous Cream BP is frequently prescribed for patients with eczema and is known to induce sensitivity in certain patients and also to decrease the thickness of the stratum corneum (SC). We have previously reported methodology to quantify corneocyte maturity and size, protease activity and protein content within different levels of the SC.
The aim of the present study was to investigate changes in corneocyte size, corneocyte maturity, selected protease activities, protein content and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) in normal skin after a 28-day application of Aqueous Cream BP.
The left and right mid volar forearms of six healthy female volunteers were selected as the study sites. Aqueous Cream BP was applied twice daily to treated sites for 28 days. At the end of this period, the site was tape-stripped and corneocyte maturity, corneocyte size and protease activity of the desquamatory kallikrein proteases, KLK5 and KLK7, and the inflammatory proteases tryptase and plasmin were measured. Protein content and TEWL measurements were also recorded.
Corneocyte maturity and size decreased with increasing number of tape strips, and were significantly lower in treated sites compared with untreated sites. Protease activity and TEWL values were higher (P < 0·05) for the treated sites compared with untreated sites. The amount of protein removed from deeper layers of treated sites was significantly lower than from untreated sites.
We report rapid minimally invasive measures of the effects of Aqueous Cream BP at the cellular and molecular level of the skin. Treatment with this formulation is associated with increased desquamatory and inflammatory protease activity. Changes in corneocyte maturity and size are also indicative of accelerated skin turnover induced by chronic application of this emollient. These findings question firmly the routine prescription of this preparation as a moisturizer in patients with atopic dermatitis.
BP 水溶性乳膏常用于治疗湿疹患者，已知其可使某些患者产生过敏反应，并降低角质层（SC）的厚度。我们之前已经报道了一种量化角质细胞成熟度和大小、蛋白酶活性以及 SC 不同层次蛋白质含量的方法。
本研究旨在探讨在正常皮肤表面应用 BP 水溶性乳膏 28 天后，角质细胞大小、角质细胞成熟度、选定蛋白酶活性、蛋白质含量和经皮水分丢失（TEWL）的变化。
选择 6 名健康女性志愿者的左右中腕掌侧作为研究部位。每天两次将 BP 水溶性乳膏涂于治疗部位，持续 28 天。在此期间结束时，对该部位进行胶带剥离，并测量角质细胞成熟度、角质细胞大小以及脱屑性 Kallikrein 蛋白酶 KLK5 和 KLK7、炎症蛋白酶胰蛋白酶和纤溶酶的蛋白酶活性。还记录了蛋白质含量和 TEWL 测量值。
角质细胞成熟度和大小随胶带剥离次数的增加而降低，且治疗部位明显低于未治疗部位。与未治疗部位相比，治疗部位的蛋白酶活性和 TEWL 值更高（P < 0.05）。从治疗部位较深层去除的蛋白质量明显低于未治疗部位。
我们报告了快速、微创的方法，可在皮肤的细胞和分子水平上评估 BP 水溶性乳膏的作用。使用这种制剂与脱屑和炎症蛋白酶活性增加有关。角质细胞成熟度和大小的变化也表明，这种保湿剂的慢性应用会加速皮肤更新。这些发现对常规将这种制剂开为特应性皮炎患者的保湿剂提出了质疑。
