Metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the synthesis of valuable chemicals.

In the twenty first century, biotechnology offers great opportunities and solutions to climate change mitigation, energy and food security and resource efficiency. The use of metabolic engineering to modify microorganisms for producing industrially significant chemicals is developing and becoming a trend. As a famous, generally recognized as a safe (GRAS) model microorganism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used due to its excellent operational convenience and high fermentation efficiency. This review summarizes recent advancements in the field of using metabolic engineering strategies to construct engineered S. cerevisiae over the past ten years. Five different types of compounds are classified by their metabolites, and the modified metabolic pathways and strategies are summarized and discussed independently. This review may provide guidance for future metabolic engineering efforts toward such compounds and analogues. Additionally, the limitations of S. cerevisiae as a cell factory and its future trends are comprehensively discussed.

Lipidomic analysis of facial skin surface lipids in acne in young women.

BACKGROUND: Alterations in the secretion and composition of skin surface lipids (SSL) are closely associated with the development of acne. Lipidomics is a useful tool to analyse the SSL of different types of acne. Our previous study found that phosphatidylserine and triacylglycerols dominate SSL changes in male acne and infantile acne, respectively. However, skin surface lipids as well as specific lipids in female acne patients remain to be investigated. OBJECTIVES: To analyse and compare the SSL profile of acne women and healthy women and to discuss the involvement of differential lipids in acne development. METHODS: Systematic lipidomics approach (high-throughput UPLC-QTOF-MS technology in combination with multivariate data analysis methods) was used to analyse the variations of SSL between acne and healthy groups. RESULTS: Analysis revealed significant differences in lipid content and composition between the two groups. Further analysis showed that levels of 13 individual lipids were significantly different and followed the same trend as the main class and subclasses. The largest individual contributor to the subgroup was triglycerides (TG) and phosphatidylinositol (PI). In addition, female acne patients exhibited reduced ceramide chain length (CCL) and increased levels of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), The changes of CCL in female acne are identical to male acne. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significantly higher level of TG and PI in the SSL of female acne patients. A reduction in CCL and an increase in UFAs content might contribute to the reduced skin barrier function in acne patients. The results suggest that female acne may have different pathogenesis than male acne.

Fluorescence determination of quercetin in food samples using polyhedron-shaped MOF@MOF(NUZ-8) based on NH2-UiO-66 and ZIF-8.

A new metal-organic framework compound (MOF@MOF, NUZ-8) comprised of NH2-UiO-66 and ZIF-8 under the polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the structure modifier was synthesized through an internal extended growth method (IEGM). The resulting NUZ-8 emerged the unreported unique polyhedron shape and showed considerable specific surface area (1466.1862 m2/g), excellent adsorption capacity, and fluorescence. NUZ-8 was used as a probe for the rapid optical detection of natural antioxidant quercetin (QCT). Its outstanding selectivity and sensitivity to QCT are derived from the fact that NH2-UiO-66 acted as an optical tentacle to perceive QCT in virtue of its luminescence advantages, and ZIF-8 realized the selective enrichment of the QCT through its electron-rich framework structure. The experiments were carried out at an excitation wavelength of 335 nm and an emission wavelength range of 370-530 nm. Under conditions of the investigation, this probe realized the rapid detection of QCT and considerable adsorption capacity with wide linearity (0.3-80 µM), a low detection limit (0.14 µM), and acceptable recoveries (84.0-97.0%) in red wine samples, properties which were superior to many other detection platforms. The synthesis and the use of the above polyhedral composite provide guidance for the application of the IEGM in enhancing chemical sensing and instant determination of drugs.Graphical abstract Flow chart of this paper.

[Respiratory infectious diseases and tissue "damage-repair" balance:pathological characteristics, treatment, and characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine].

Respiratory infectious diseases are important diseases causing major public safety events, posing a great threat to life, health, and social development. Effective control and scientific treatment of the diseases is the key basis for ensuring the stability and long-term development of the community of a shared future for human health. Although the pathogens of respiratory viral infectious diseases are diverse and the process is complex, the common pathological basis of their pathogenesis is characterized by the "damage-repair" functional imbalance of the immune microenvironment of the lesions, which leads to the subsequent structural and functional destruction of important organs. Therefore, the treatment should focus on antivirus and immunological regulation, strengthen the protection against immune injury, and promote the functional repair of damaged tissues. The above conclusions are the scientific core of host-directed therapies(HDT), which coincides with "human-disease co-treatment and healthy qi and pathogen interaction" in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) theories. Under the support of TCM and western medicine theories, the complete pathological chain "infection-immunity-injury" of respiratory viral infectious diseases is integrated with dynamic change in "healthy qi-pathogen" in TCM to transform the treatment focus from the diseases to the patients. It is possible to fundamentally correct the "damage-repair" imbalance in the disease state, change the environment for disease development, and bring benefits to patients by strengthening human intervention, maintaining immune homeostasis, enhancing the protection of tissues and organs, and promoting the repair and regeneration of damaged tissues. This study focused on the common and key pathological processes of respiratory infectious diseases, especially the immune damage caused by the viral infection, to seek effective prevention and treatment strategies, review relevant theoretical progress, summarize effective drug candidates, prospect future research and development, and highlight the therapeutic characteristics of TCM.

[Progress in the clinical application and correlation between glucose transporter-1 and 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging for non-small cell lung cancer].

Because of the unobvious early symptoms and low 5-year survival rate, the early diagnosis and treatment is of great significance for patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Glucose transporter-1 is the most widely distributed glucose transporters in various tissue cells in the human body, whose expression in non-small cell lung cancer is closely related to the histological types, lymph node metastasis, degree of differentiation, progression and prognosis. 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging, a molecular imaging diagnostic method, is based on the characteristics of glucose metabolism in malignant tumors, which has been widely applied in the cancer diagnosis, stage division, evaluation of therapeutic effects and prognosis evaluation. Glucose transporter-1 is regulated and influenced by many factors, and it is closely related to 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging. This article briefly reviews the progress in the clinical application and correlation between glucose transporter-1 and 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging for non-small cell lung cancer, in order to improve the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.

Establishment of extraction design space for ursolic acid from Paulowniae Flos based on the concept of quality by design.

INTRODUCTION: The application of quality by design (QbD) concept needs to be strengthened in the field of traditional Chinese medicine research. The extraction process has an important influence on the effectiveness of the drug, and the combination of QbD and the extraction process of the active ingredient helps to improve the effectiveness of the drug. OBJECTIVE: To establish the extraction design space for ursolic acid (UA) from Paulowniae Flos based on the concept of QbD. METHODS: The extraction yield of the target component UA was taken as critical quality attributes (CQAs), extraction time, extraction temperature, ethanol concentration and liquid-solid ratio, as critical process parameters (CPPs). Box-Behnken design (BBD) was applied to optimise the design space and the chromatographic conditions were performed on a Shimadzu C18 reversed-phase column with 0.1% (v/v) acetic acid aqueous water-acetonitrile (7:13, v/v) as the mobile phase at a 1 mL/min flow rate, using UA standard as a control and detection at 210 nm. RESULTS: The single factor investigation and BBD experiment were used to construct the design space, while verification experiments and methodological validation were used to demonstrate that the space was robust and analytical methods were appropriate. The operating space of ethanol concentration 93-98%, liquid-solid ratio 28-37 mL/g and extraction temperature 70-78.3°C was recommended. CONCLUSION: The proposed methodology can help to promote the quality control of the Chinese medicine extraction process and facilitate the production operation of the enterprise easier.

Characterization of circadian human facial surface lipid composition.

BACKGROUND: The circadian rhythm is an endogenous clock that governs a wide range of physiological functions. In the skin, rhythmic changes in skin barrier function have been investigated at the physiological level; however, few studies at the molecular level have been reported. Additionally, there is no study on lipidomic profile variations of skin surface lipid (SSL), which could potentially explain the rhythmic changes in skin status. OBJECTIVES: The SSL profile of healthy young women was analysed to assess SSL variations and to assess the skin status during the circadian cycle. METHODS: Ultra performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and multivariate data analysis were performed to assess SSL variations. RESULTS: The lipidomic profile showed significant differences with the circadian rhythm. Multivariate data analysis indicated that glycerolipids were the lipids majorly affected by the circadian rhythm. Additionally, in the SSL profile, both the average chain length and the content of free fatty acids (FFAs) were higher at 20:00 than at 08:00. CONCLUSIONS: The SSL profile significantly varied with respect to the circadian rhythm. The rhythm-altered triacylglycerol level, FFA chain length and FFA content resulted in rhythmic changes in skin barrier function, including transepidermal water loss alteration and pH variation.

Long noncoding RNA MALAT1 downregulates cardiac transient outward potassium current by regulating miR-200c/HMGB1 pathway.

The dysregulation of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) participates in the remodeling of electrophysiological/ion channel in cardiomyocytes during arrhythmia. The lncRNA metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) is reported to be highly expressed in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury and offsets cardioprotective effects of fentanyl. However, the roles of MALAT1 and its related miRNAs during arrhythmia are poorly understood. In this study, the overexpression of MALAT1 was firstly indicated in cardiomyocytes from arrhythmic model rats. After downregulation of MALAT1 by RNA interference, transient outward potassium current (Ito), peak current density, and the levels of Kv4.2 and Kv4.3 channel proteins were increased in rat cardiomyocytes. Then, miR-200c was predicted and convinced to be a direct target of MALAT1, and high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) was verified to be a target of miR-200c during arrhythmia. HMGB1 expression reduced by the knockdown of MALAT1 was further decreased by miR-200c overexpression. In addition, cardiac Ito, peak current density, and the levels of Kv4.2 and Kv4.3 in arrhythmic model rats were detected to be negatively correlated with the expression of HMGB1, and to be positively with miR-200c expression. Taken together, these results suggested that MALAT1 may act as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-200c to upregulate the expression of HMGB1 and downregulate cardiac Ito.

[Analysis on dietary patterns and influencing factors among the elderly in Yantai City].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the dietary patterns and influencing factors among the elderly in Yantai City. METHODS: A total of 2626 old people( ≥60 years old) were recruited from 6 districts in Yantai City, including Zhifu District, Muping District, Haiyang District, Zhaoyuan District, Longkou District and Changdao County by stratified cluster of random sampling and surveyed using general questionnaires and dietary questionnaires, while physical examinations were conducted. Factors analysis was used to identify the dietary patterns. Influencing factors of dietary patterns were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Three evident dietary patterns were derived by factors analysis including healthy( 31. 83%), traditional( 45. 63%) and western( 22. 54%) dietary patterns. Non-smoking older men with low-literacy were more likely to follow traditional dietary pattern. The highly educated elderly women were likelyto follow healthy dietary pattern. The elder with a family history of chronic diseases were likely to follow western dietary pattern( P < 0. 001). People who were in family with higher incomes( OR = 1. 53, 95% CI 1. 32- 2. 61) or had family history of diabetes mellitus( OR = 1. 43, 95% CI 1. 21- 1. 98) or family history of coronary heart diseases( OR = 1. 17, 95% CI 1. 08- 1. 84) used western dietary pattern more than healthy dietary pattern. In addition, the elderly male( OR = 2. 87, 95% CI 2. 27- 3. 38) using traditional dietary pattern were more than the elderly female using healthy dietary pattern. CONCLUSION: There are three dietary patterns among the elderly in Yantai City. The main influencing factors include gender, level of education, economic level and a family history of chronic diseases.

Lignan and Phthalide Derivatives from the Rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong (Rhizoma chuanxiong) and Evaluation of Their anti-Xanthine Oxidase Activities.

The previous research results showed that the extracts of ethyl acetate of the rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong (Rhizoma chuanxiong) possessed significant antigout effects in model mice. To explore the active ingredients responsible for the effects, phytochemical studies were performed, which led to the isolation of three rare 8', 9-linked neolignans, ligusticumins A-C (1-3), together with two novel phthalide-phenylpropanoid heterodimers, ligusticumalides A-B (4 and 5). It is noteworthy that 4 possesses an unprecedented 7-styryl phthalide skeleton. The structures and absolute configurations of 1-5 were elucidated by one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) NMR spectroscopy and electron-capture detector (ECD) spectroscopic methods. The bioassay results showed that compounds 1, 2, 3, and 5 presented moderate inhibitory activities against xanthine oxidase (XO) and 4 possessed a significant XO inhibitory effect with an IC50 value of 93.88 µM. This is the first time to investigate the anti-XO active ingredients of R. chuanxiong, which provides valuable information for searching for new antigout agents from natural products.

Progress on two-dimensional binary oxide materials.

Two-dimensional van der Waals (2D vdW) materials have attracted much attention because of their unique electronic and optical properties. Since the successful isolation of graphene in 2004, many interesting 2D materials have emerged, including elemental olefins (silicene, germanene, etc.), transition metal chalcogenides, transition metal carbides (nitrides), hexagonal boron, etc. On the other hand, 2D binary oxide materials are an important group in the 2D family owing to their high structural diversity, low cost, high stability, and strong adjustability. This review systematically summarizes the research progress on 2D binary oxide materials. We discuss their composition and structure in terms of vdW and non-vdW categories in detail, followed by a discussion of their synthesis methods. In particular, we focus on strategies to tailor the properties of 2D oxides and their emerging applications in different fields. Finally, the challenges and future developments of 2D binary oxides are provided.

Characterization and application of a novel xylanase from Halolactibacillus miurensis in wholewheat bread making.

The presence of arabinoxylan in wholewheat flour affects its quality significantly. Here, an efficient arabinoxylan hydrolytic enzyme, Hmxyn, from Halolactibacillus miurensis was identified and heterologously expressed in pichia pastoris. Moreover, its relevant properties, including potential application in the wholewheat bread were evaluated. Recombinant Hmxyn exhibited maximal activity at 45°C and pH 6.5, and was stable at mid-range temperature (<55°C) and pH (5.5-8.0) conditions. Hmxyn had a clear hydrolysis effect on wheat arabinoxylan in dough and caused the degradation of the water-unextractable arabinoxylan, which increased the content of wheat soluble arabinoxylan of dough. The fermentation characteristics results and microstructure analysis revealed that Hmxyn improved the organizational structure and air holding capacity of fermented dough, thus promoting the dough expansion. Baking experiments further showed that Hmxyn significantly increased specific volume- and texture-linked properties of wholewheat breads. This study indicates the application potential of Hmxyn in the preparation of wholewheat bread.

The effect of structure and preparation method on the bioactivity of polysaccharides from plants and fungi.

Polysaccharides are not only the main components in the cell walls of plants and fungi, but also a structure that supports and protects cells. In the process of obtaining polysaccharides from raw materials containing cell walls, the polysaccharides on the cell walls are the products and also a factor that affects the extraction rate. Polysaccharides derived from plants and fungi have mild characteristics and exhibit various biological activities. The biological activity of polysaccharides is related to their chemical structure. This review summarizes the effects of the physicochemical properties and structure of polysaccharides, from cell walls in raw materials, that have an impact on their biological activities, including molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, chain structure, and uronic acid content. Also, the structure of certain natural polysaccharides limits their biological activity. Chemical modification and degradation of these structures can enhance the pharmacological properties of natural polysaccharides to a certain extent. At the same time, the processing method affects the structure and yield of polysaccharides on the cell wall and in the cell. The extraction and purification methods are summarized, and the effects of preparation methods on the structure and physiological effects of polysaccharides from plants and fungi are discussed.

Risk of incident diabetes after COVID-19 infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 might be a risk factor for various chronic diseases. However, the association between COVID-19 and the risk of incident diabetes remains unclear. We aimed to meta-analyze evidence on the relative risk of incident diabetes in patients with COVID-19. METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the Embase, PubMed, CENTRAL, and Web of Science databases were searched from December 2019 to June 8, 2022. We included cohort studies that provided data on the number, proportion, or relative risk of diabetes after confirming the COVID-19 diagnosis. Two reviewers independently screened studies for eligibility, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. We used a random-effects meta-analysis to pool the relative risk with corresponding 95 % confidence intervals. Prespecified subgroup and meta-regression analyses were conducted to explore the potential influencing factors. We converted the relative risk to the absolute risk difference to present the evidence. This study was registered in advance (PROSPERO CRD42022337841). MAIN FINDINGS: Ten articles involving 11 retrospective cohorts with a total of 47.1 million participants proved eligible. We found a 64 % greater risk (RR = 1.64, 95%CI: 1.51 to 1.79) of diabetes in patients with COVID-19 compared with non-COVID-19 controls, which could increase the number of diabetes events by 701 (558 more to 865 more) per 10,000 persons. We detected significant subgroup effects for type of diabetes and sex. Type 2 diabetes has a higher relative risk than type 1. Moreover, men may be at a higher risk of overall diabetes than women. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the results. No evidence was found for publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 is strongly associated with the risk of incident diabetes, including both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. We should be aware of the risk of developing diabetes after COVID-19 and prepare for the associated health problems, given the large and growing number of people infected with COVID-19. However, the body of evidence still needs to be strengthened.

Probing the Role of Catalytic Triad on the Cleavage between Intramolecular Chaperone and NK Mature Peptide.

Many proteases require the assistance of an intramolecular chaperone (IMC) that is essential for protein folding. Subtilisin is produced as a precursor that requires its N-terminal propeptide to act as an IMC to chaperone the folding of its subtilisin domain. During the precursor folding, the cleavage of the peptide bond between the IMC and the subtilisin domain is the most important and rate-limiting step, which leads to the structural reorganization of the subtilisin domain and IMC's degradation. It is speculated that the cleavage is fulfilled by the nucleophilic attack of Ser221, with the assistance of Asp32 positioning the correct tautomer of His64 and His64 accepting a proton from Ser221. In this study, our results suggested that there was a different mechanism of cleavage of the peptide bond between the IMC and the subtilisin domain in nattokinase (NK), and the role of the NK catalytic triad on the cleavage was not consistent with the classical theory. This finding suggested that members of the subtilisin family had evolved different mechanisms to acquire their own active subtilisin efficiently.

Lipidomic analysis of facial skin surface lipid reveals the causes of pregnancy-related skin barrier weakness.

Self-reported skin discomfort is a common problem during pregnancy, but it is not clear whether skin barrier function is altered in the process. Few studies have described the skin barrier function during pregnancy. In this work, we used highly sensitive and high-resolution ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) to distinguish skin surface lipid (SSL) combined with multivariate analysis of lipids and metabolic changes to determine the relationship between SSL changes and skin physiology during pregnancy in order to better understand the skin condition of pregnant women. The results showed a significant reduction in the total lipid content in pregnant women. A total of 2270 lipids were detected, and the relative abundances of fatty acyls and glycerolipids were significantly reduced, while glycerophospholipids (GPs), sphingolipids, and saccharolipids was significantly increased in the pregnancy group. Multivariate data analysis indicated that 23 entities constituted the most important individual species responsible for the discrimination and phosphatidylcholine was the most abundant lipid in pregnancy group. In addition, compared to SSL profile of control group, it was observed that the average chain length of ceramides and fatty acids both decreased in SSL profile of pregnancy group. The main and most commonly affected pathway was that of GP pathways. These findings indicate that skin lipids are significantly altered in mid-pregnancy compared to the control group. Changes in ostrogen during pregnancy also make the skin more susceptible to inflammatory factors and lead to more fragile and susceptible skin, weakening the skin barrier along with the lipid alterations.

UCPs/Zn2GeO4:Mn2+/g-C3N4 heterojunction engineered injectable thermosensitive hydrogel for oxygen independent breast cancer neoadjuvant photodynamic therapy.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for the treatment of breast cancer can provide the option of surgery for patients with a large tumor mass or increase the rate of breast conservation. However, some patients are not sensitive to chemotherapeutic drugs, and therefore this may cause them to miss their optimal chance for surgery. Herein, photodynamic therapy (PDT) was chosen instead of chemotherapy as a neoadjuvant treatment for breast cancer because of its effectiveness against different cancer cells and the lack of side effects in normal tissues. Considering the hypoxic environment of tumors and the tissue penetration depth, a heterojunction Zn2GeO4:Mn2+/g-C3N4 was designed and combined with upconversion materials NaYF4:Yb3+, Tm3+ and hyaluronic acid to form a NaYF4:Yb3+, Tm3+/Zn2GeO4:Mn2+/g-C3N4@HA (UZC@HA) photosensitizer. After intratumoral administration using a thermosensitive hydrogel as a carrier, under a 980 nm laser, UZC@HA can generate holes and electrons to oxidize water to form a hydroxyl radical (˙OH) and react with O2 to produce the superoxide ion (˙O2-), respectively. The thermosensitive hydrogel not only supplies water, but also ensures the high loading capacity of UZC@HA. HA on the UZC can bind specifically with CD44R-overexpressing tumor cells and help the photosensitizer to target tumor sites. Thus, near infrared (NIR) mediated oxygen-independent PDT can be realized. After 12 d of treatment, the tumor mass was significantly reduced and no side effects in normal tissues were observed. Our work shows the potential of the NIR mediated heterojunction UZC@HA to act as a photosensitizer for neoadjuvant PDT in breast cancer and may open a new avenue for exploration of PDT and provide more options for breast cancer patients.

Lipidomics reveals the role of glycoceramide and phosphatidylethanolamine in infantile acne.

BACKGROUND: Infantile acne refers to a skin disease that usually occurs on the face from 6 weeks to 1 year old, and the etiology of infantile acne is different from that of puberty acne. The change of skin surface lipid (SSL) is an important factor in the occurrence of acne. OBJECTIVES: Comparison of facial skin lipid changes in healthy and acne-prone infants, screening for possible groupings of substances, to explore factors associated with the development of acne in infants, such as gender and frequency of face washing. METHODS: A questionnaire was used to obtain information about the infant, facial lipids were affixed with adhesive tape, and the samples were analyzed using Ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS), with subsequent data analyzed by single-factor and multifactor analysis. RESULTS: It was observed that some lipids followed the trend of lipid master classes, subclasses and were significantly different. Galactosylceramides, glycosylceramides and phosphatidylethanolamine were screened as the majority of differentiating lipid species. Additionally, it was emphasized that the frequency of face washing and parent's acne was independent with the severity of acne in infant by clinical characteristics, whereas the skin type and gender can affect the severity of acne statistically. CONCLUSIONS: Facial lipids change significantly between infantile acne and healthy infants, suggesting that qualitative and quantitative changes in lipids are strongly associated with the development of acne and may exacerbate the environment in which acne occurs.

Psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-10 in breast cancer patients.

Objectives: Fatigue is very common in patients with breast cancer. Developing appropriate measurement tools to assess fatigue is critical. The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-10 (MFI-10) in patients with breast cancer. Design: A cross-sectional validation study. Methods: The MFI-10 was translated in Chinese using a combination of expert assessment and cross-cultural adaptations. The Chinese version of MFI-10 was then administered to 402 patients with breast cancer from three affiliated hospitals. Results: Principal component analysis extracted three factors that explained 78.197% of the total variance. The internal consistency reliability coefficient of MFI-10 scale was 0.864. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit to data (χ 2 = 51.638, df = 35, NFI = 0.943, CFI = 0.981, AGFI = 0.924, TLI = 0.975 and RMSEA = 0.049), which represents good construct validity. Conclusions: The MFI-10 is a reliable and valid tool to measure fatigue in Chinese patients with breast cancer.

A review of fatty acids influencing skin condition.

BACKGROUND: Fatty acids are common raw materials in cosmetics and also are an important component of skin surface lipids, and their composition and amount affect the skin condition. AIMS: The purpose of this article was to review the results of basic research on fatty acids as skin surface lipids. METHODS: An extensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, and other databases for articles on fatty acids from 1993 to 2020. RESULTS: This article provides an overview of the mechanisms of fatty acid synthesis and its metabolic pathways as skin surface lipids in the context of sebaceous and intercellular lipids. The three mechanisms by which fatty acids affect the skin condition are also reviewed. CONCLUSIONS: This information will aid further understanding of the mechanism of the fatty acid role in skin function maintenance and provide new perspectives for the management of skin health.