Wang Ben, Liu Ling-Ling, Zhao Zuo-Tao, Tu Ping
Department of Dermatology, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Beijing,
Department of Dermatology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
Dermatology. 2018;234(5-6):180-185. doi: 10.1159/000489701. Epub 2018 Sep 18.
To investigate whether the skin barrier function is impaired with regard to the pH value, water content, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and the integrity of the stratum corneum, and whether the expression of caspase-14 is altered in moderate to severe chronic hand eczema (CHE).
Thirty patients with moderate to severe CHE treated at our institute and 30 healthy volunteers were included in this study. The pH value, water content, TEWL, and the integrity of the stratum corneum were measured in all subjects.
Significantly increased pH value, decreased water content, elevated TEWL, and impaired integrity of the stratum corneum were observed in the lesional skin of CHE patients compared with the nonlesional skin of CHE patients and the normal skin of healthy volunteers. The expression of caspase-14 decreased in the lesional and nonlesional skin of CHE patients compared with the normal skin of healthy volunteers, especially prominent in the nonlesional skin. The mean optical density (OD) value of immunohistochemical staining for caspase-14 was significantly lower in the nonlesional skin than in the lesional skin and normal skin (p < 0.01 for both). Although the mean OD value was lower in the lesional skin than in the normal skin, the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05).
Skin barrier dysfunction indeed occurs in CHE patients, which may be related to mechanisms associated with a downregulated expression of caspase-14.
研究中度至重度慢性手部湿疹（CHE）患者的皮肤屏障功能在pH值、含水量、经表皮水分流失（TEWL）及角质层完整性方面是否受损，以及胱天蛋白酶-14的表达是否发生改变。
本研究纳入了在我院接受治疗的30例中度至重度CHE患者和30名健康志愿者。测量了所有受试者的pH值、含水量、TEWL及角质层完整性。
与CHE患者的非皮损皮肤及健康志愿者的正常皮肤相比，CHE患者皮损皮肤的pH值显著升高，含水量降低，TEWL升高，角质层完整性受损。与健康志愿者的正常皮肤相比，CHE患者皮损和非皮损皮肤中胱天蛋白酶-14的表达降低，在非皮损皮肤中尤为明显。胱天蛋白酶-14免疫组化染色的平均光密度（OD）值在非皮损皮肤中显著低于皮损皮肤和正常皮肤（两者均p < 0.01）。虽然皮损皮肤的平均OD值低于正常皮肤，但差异无统计学意义（p > 0.05）。
CHE患者确实存在皮肤屏障功能障碍，这可能与胱天蛋白酶-14表达下调相关的机制有关。
