A joint research team of Juntendo University and FANCL Corporation has revealed that preservatives and air pollutants can contribute to skin sensation abnormalities (skin conditions that are prone to tingling, tingling and itching).

 The sensory abnormalities of the skin seen in atopic dermatitis and so-called "sensitive skin" are caused by an increase in the fibrous protrusions "sensory nerve fibers" possessed by sensory nerve cells that receive and transmit sensations such as pain and itching. It is considered to be one of the.Therefore, this team investigated the effects of external environments such as preservatives and air pollutants on sensory nerve fibers using "human iPS cell-derived sensory nerve cells" developed by FANCL.

 First, human iPS cell-derived sensory neurons were cultured in a medium containing preservatives (methylparaben and phenoxyethanol) at concentrations predicted to remain unmetabolized in the skin, compared to when no preservatives were added. Sensory nerve fibers increased 1.8-fold and 2.1-fold, respectively.This suggests that although preservatives do not always cause paresthesia of the skin immediately, they may increase the risk of developing paresthesia by increasing sensory nerve fibers over healthy skin conditions.

 Next, when human iPS cell-derived sensory neurons were cultured in a medium containing an air pollutant (benzopyrene) at a concentration that could reach the skin, bead-like degeneration of sensory nerve fibers was 2.7 times more frequent. occured.Furthermore, in order to investigate the effects of active oxygen generated in the body due to such external environment, aging, stress, etc., the results of culturing in a medium containing hydrogen peroxide showed that the frequency of bead-like denaturation was 4.7 times.Skin exposed to air pollutants or skin with increased active oxygen in the deep part of the skin may damage sensory nerve fibers and increase the risk of developing paresthesia.

 The results of this study, which found that such external chemical substances cause increase and degeneration of sensory nerves, will be useful for elucidating the causes of the occurrence and deterioration of sensory abnormalities in the skin and for preventing and improving abnormal sensations in the future. It is expected to lead to the development of drugs and cosmetics.

Paper information:[International Journal of Molecular Sciences] A Novel In Vitro Assay Using Human iPSC-Derived Sensory Neurons to Evaluate the Effects of External Chemicals on Neuronal Morphology: Possible Implications in the Prediction of Abnormal Skin Sensation

Juntendo University

Co-creating a new era with the keywords "sports" and "health"

A traditional school with 185 years of history.It is a comprehensive health university consisting of 8 faculties, 4 graduate schools, and 6 affiliated hospitals: Medicine, Sports and Health Science, Medical Nursing, Health Nursing, International Liberal Arts, Health and Medical Sciences, Medical Science, and Health Data Science.Furthermore, in April 2024, we are preparing to open the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (provisional name) […]

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