The proteomic skin profile of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis patients shows an inflammatory signature.

BACKGROUND

Moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) is increasingly recognized as a systemic disease, largely due to proteomic blood studies. There are growing efforts to develop AD biomarkers using minimal tissues.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the AD skin proteomic signature and its relationship with the blood proteome and genomic skin profile in the same individuals.

METHODS

We evaluated lesional and nonlesional biopsy samples and blood from 20 individuals with moderate-to-severe AD and 28 healthy individuals using Olink Proteomics (Uppsala, Sweden), using 10 μg/10 μL for skin and blood and RNA sequencing of the skin.

RESULTS

The AD skin proteome demonstrated significant upregulation in lesional and even in nonlesional skin compared with controls in inflammatory markers (matrix metalloproteinase 12; T-helper cell [Th]2/interleukin [IL]-1 receptor-like 1[IL1RL1]/IL-33R, IL-13, chemokine [C-C motif] ligand [CCL] 17; Th1/C-X-C motif chemokine 10; Th17/Th22/PI3, CCL20, S100A12), and in cardiovascular-associated proteins (E-selectin, matrix metalloproteinases, platelet growth factor, myeloperoxidase, fatty acid binding protein 4, and vascular endothelial growth factor A; false discovery rate, <0.05). Skin proteins demonstrated much higher and significant upregulations (vs controls) compared with blood, suggesting a skin source for the inflammatory/cardiovascular profile. Gene and protein expressions were correlated (r = 0.410, P < .001), with commonly upregulated inflammatory and cardiovascular risk-associated products, suggesting protein translation in skin.

LIMITATIONS

Our analysis was limited to 354 proteins.

CONCLUSIONS

The AD skin proteome shows an inflammatory and cardiovascular signature even in nonlesional skin, emphasizing the need for proactive treatment. Skin proteomics presents a sensitive option for biomarker monitoring.