An In Vitro Mixed Infection Model With Commensal and Pathogenic Staphylococci for the Exploration of Interspecific Interactions and Their Impacts on Skin Physiology.

The skin microbiota has been recognized to play an integral role in the physiology and pathology of the skin. The crosstalk between skin and the resident microbes has been extensively investigated using two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures in vitro; however, skin colonization by multiple species and the effects of interspecific interactions on the structure and function of skin remains to be elucidated. This study reports the establishment of a mixed infection model, incorporating both commensal (Staphylococcus epidermidis) and pathogenic (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria, based on a 3D human epidermal model. We observed that co-infecting the 3D epidermal model with S. aureus and S. epidermidis restricted the growth of S. aureus. In addition, S. aureus induced epidermal cytotoxicity, and the release of proinflammatory cytokines was attenuated by the S. aureus-S. epidermidis mixed infection model. S. epidermidis also inhibited the invasion of the deeper epidermis by S. aureus, eliciting protective effects on the integrity of the epidermal barrier. This 3D culture-based mixed infection model would be an effective replacement for existing animal models and 2D cell culture approaches for the evaluation of diverse biotic and abiotic factors involved in maintaining skin health.

In vitro Antifungal Activity of Japanese Folk Herb Extracts against Trichophyton rubrum.

Folk herbs are vital to the Japanese health care system, with some being used to treat fungal skin infections. We tested folk herbs used in traditional Japanese medicine for in vitro antifungal activity against Trichophyton rubrum, the most common pathogen in patients with superficial dermatitis. Acetone, ethanol, methanol, water, and acetic acid extracts from 15 species of Japanese folk herbs (Bi-wa, Aka-me-gashiwa, Ta-mushi-ba, Yomogi, Shi-so, Ku-ko, So-ba, Yama-momo, Kuro-mo-ji, Ichi-ji-ku, Kaki-no-ki, Kuwa-no-ki, Kusa-gi, Chimaki-zasa, and I-bukijya-kou-sou) were evaluated for fungal growth inhibition, as measured by absorbance. Crude acetic acid extracts of Aka-me-gashiwa, Ta-mushi-ba, Yomogi, Ku-ko, Kaki-no-ki, and I-bukijya- kou-sou exhibited antifungal activity comparable to that of amphotericin B. Although the active compounds and underlying antifungal mechanisms are not known, the data contribute to the development of new and safe antifungal drugs, highlight new extraction methods for herbs, and support the traditional use of Japanese folk herbs against fungal infections.