Treatment with a red-laser-based wound therapy device exerts positive effects in models of delayed keratinocyte and fibroblast wound healing.

BACKGROUND: Light therapy is widely used in medicine. Specifically, photobiomodulation has been shown to exert beneficial effects in wound healing disorders, which present a major challenge in health care. The study's aim was providing information on the effect of a novel, red-laser-based wound therapy device (WTD) on keratinocytes and fibroblasts during wound healing under optimal and non-optimal conditions. METHODS: The scratch wound assay was employed as a wound healing model for mechanical damage with readjustment of specific cell milieus, explicitly chronic TH1 inflammation and TH2-dominant conditions. Furthermore, gene expression analysis of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL1A, IL6, CXCL8), growth factors (TGFB1, PDGFC), transcription factors (NFKB1, TP53) and heat shock proteins (HSP90AA1, HSPA1A, HSPD1) as well as desmogleins (DSG1, DSG3) in keratinocytes and collagen (COL1A1, COL3A1) in fibroblasts was performed after WTD treatment. RESULTS: It was shown that WTD treatment is biocompatible and supports scratch wound closure under non-optimal conditions. A distinct enhancement of desmoglein and collagen gene expression as well as induction of early growth factor gene expression was observed under chronic inflammatory conditions. Moreover, WTD increased HSPD1 transcript levels in keratinocytes and augmented collagen expression in fibroblasts during wound healing under TH2 conditions. WTD treatment also alleviated the inflammatory response in keratinocytes and induced early growth factor gene expression in fibroblasts under physiological conditions. CONCLUSION: Positive effects described for wound treatment with WTD could be replicated in vitro and seem to be to be conferred by a direct influence on cellular processes taking place in keratinocytes and fibroblasts during wound healing.

Bacterial nanocellulose patches as a carrier for hydrating formulations to improve the topical treatment of nail diseases.

Bacterial nanocellulose has been widely investigated for wound healing applications, mainly due to its moisturizing capabilities and biocompatibility. Even though the topical therapy of nail diseases could benefit from these properties, this application has not yet been investigated. Therefore, actively hydrating nail patches based on bacterial nanocellulose were developed to improve the delivery of ciclopirox olamine and Boswellia serrata extract through the nail plate. The nanocellulose matrix was used to enable the application of hydration enhancing solutions based on glycerol and urea as a mechanically stable patch. While the favorable mechanical characteristics of the material remained unchanged, an increase of the incorporated glycerol concentration enhanced the transparency and wetting capacity of the patches. A biphasic drug release from the patches could be observed for drug and extract with a faster release for the hydrophilic ciclopirox olamine. High glycerol concentrations correlated with increased cumulative release and permeation through keratin films for drug and extract, demonstrating the hydration driven permeation enhancement. Patches containing ciclopirox olamine showed strong antimycotic effects against relevant pathogens for onychomycosis. The present finding proposed the combination of bacterial nanocellulose with glycerol, urea and different drug as a promising platform for the local treatment of nail diseases.

Keratinocyte and Fibroblast Wound Healing In Vitro Is Repressed by Non-Optimal Conditions but the Reparative Potential Can Be Improved by Water-Filtered Infrared A.

It is a general goal to improve wound healing, especially of chronic wounds. As light therapy has gained increasing attention, the positive influence on healing progression of water-filtered infrared A (wIRA), a special form of thermal radiation, has been investigated and compared to the detrimental effects of UV-B irradiation on wound closure in vitro. Models of keratinocyte and fibroblast scratches help to elucidate effects on epithelial and dermal healing. This study further used the simulation of non-optimal settings such as S. aureus infection, chronic inflammation, and anti-inflammatory conditions to determine how these affect scratch wound progression and whether wIRA treatment can improve healing. Gene expression analysis for cytokines (IL1A, IL6, CXCL8), growth (TGFB1, PDGFC) and transcription factors (NFKB1, TP53), heat shock proteins (HSP90AA1, HSPA1A, HSPD1), keratinocyte desmogleins (DSG1, DSG3), and fibroblast collagen (COL1A1, COL3A1) was performed. Keratinocyte and fibroblast wound healing under non-optimal conditions was found to be distinctly reduced in vitro. wIRA treatment could counteract the inflammatory response in infected keratinocytes as well as under chronic inflammatory conditions by decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression and improve wound healing. In contrast, in the anti-inflammatory setting, wIRA radiation could re-initiate the acute inflammatory response necessary after injury to stimulate the regenerative processes and advance scratch closure.

Alarming India-wide phenomenon of antifungal resistance in dermatophytes: A multicentre study.

BACKGROUND: An alarming increase in recalcitrant dermatophytosis has been witnessed in India over the past decade. Drug resistance may play a major role in this scenario. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of in vitro resistance to terbinafine, itraconazole and voriconazole in dermatophytes, and to identify underlying mutations in the fungal squalene epoxidase (SQLE) gene. PATIENTS/METHODS: We analysed skin samples from 402 patients originating from eight locations in India. Fungi were identified by microbiological and molecular methods, tested for antifungal susceptibility (terbinafine, itraconazole, voriconazole), and investigated for missense mutations in SQLE. RESULTS: Trichophyton (T.) mentagrophytes internal transcribed spacer (ITS) Type VIII was found in 314 (78%) samples. Eighteen (5%) samples harboured species identified up to the T interdigitale/mentagrophytes complex, and T rubrum was detected in 19 (5%) samples. 71% of isolates were resistant to terbinafine. The amino acid substitution Phe397Leu in the squalene epoxidase of resistant T mentagrophytes was highly prevalent (91%). Two novel substitutions in resistant Trichophyton strains, Ser395Pro and Ser443Pro, were discovered. The substitution Ala448Thr was found in terbinafine-sensitive and terbinafine-resistant isolates but was associated with increased MICs of itraconazole and voriconazole. CONCLUSIONS: The high frequencies of terbinafine resistance in dermatophytes are worrisome and demand monitoring and further research. Squalene epoxidase substitutions between Leu393 and Ser443 could serve as markers of resistance in the future.

The Microbiome and Atopic Dermatitis: A Review.

The microbiome is defined as the sum of microbes, their genomes, and interactions in a given ecological niche. Atopic dermatitis is a multifactorial chronic inflammatory skin disease leading to dryness and itchiness of the skin. It is often associated with comorbidities such as allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma. Today, culture-free techniques have been established to define microbes and their genomes that may be both detrimental and beneficial for their host. There are signs that microbes, both on skin and in the gut, may influence the course of atopic dermatitis. Antiseptic treatment has been used for decades, however now, with the help of traditional culture-based methods and modern metagenomics, we are beginning to understand that targeted treatment of dysbiosis may possibly become part of an integrated therapy plan in the future.

Effects of omega-3 PUFA on the vitamin E and glutathione antioxidant defense system in individuals at ultra-high risk of psychosis.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress and impaired antioxidant defenses are reported in schizophrenia and are associated with disturbed neurodevelopment, brain structural alterations, glutamatergic imbalance, increased negative symptoms, and cognitive impairment. There is evidence that oxidative stress predates the onset of acute psychotic illness. Here, we investigate the effects of omega-3 PUFA on the vitamin E and glutathione antioxidant defense system (AODS). METHOD: In 64 help-seeking UHR-individuals (13-25 years of age), vitamin E levels and glutathione were investigated before and after 12 weeks of treatment with either 1.2g/d omega-3 (PUFA-E) or saturated fatty acids (SFA-E), with each condition also containing 30.4mg/d alpha-tocopherol to ensure absorption without additional oxidative risk. RESULTS: In multivariate tests, the effects on the AODS (alpha-tocopherol, total glutathione) were not significantly different (p=0.13, p=0.11, respectively) between treatment conditions. According to univariate findings, only PUFA-E caused a significant alpha-tocopherol increase, while PUFA-E and SFA-E caused a significant gamma- and delta-tocopherol decrease. Total glutathione (GSHt) was decreased by PUFA-E supplementation. CONCLUSION: Effects of the PUFA-E condition on the vitamin E and glutathione AODS could be mechanisms underlying its clinical effectiveness. In terms of the vitamin E protection system, PUFA-E seems to directly support the antioxidative defense at membrane level. The effect of PUFA-E on GSHt is not yet fully understood, but could reflect antioxidative effects, resulting in decreased demand for glutathione. It is still necessary to further clarify which type of PUFA/antioxidant combination, and in which dose, is effective at each stage of psychotic illness.