[Cutaneous oxygen supply. With special consideration of skin uptake of oxygen from the atmosphere].
Oxygen reaches the skin from the blood as well as from the atmosphere. The diffusion gradient is a key factor in oxygen delivery. Measurements with puncture electrodes show a maximum oxygen partial pressure on the skin surface and a minimum in the deeper dermis. Non-invasive measures show that oxygen uptake depends on location. Assuming the oxygen consumption is 0.276+/-0.029 ml O(2).100 g(-1).min(-1) (37 degrees) and no oxygen is removed by capillaries, then the skin can be supplied by atmospheric oxygen to a depth of 0.25 to 0.40 mm, well into the dermis. Only the deeper dermis receives oxygen from the blood. The stratum corneum is a significant barrier to diffusion from the atmosphere. When this barrier is damaged, the oxygen diffusion increases Keratinocytes in culture proliferate in response to increased oxygen pressure; the same mechanism may explain epidermal hyperplasia following stratum corneum damage in vivo.
Stücker
M
M
Klinik für Dermatologie und Allergologie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, St. Josef Hospital, Bochum. M.Stuecker@derma.de
Moll
C
C
Altmeyer
P
P
D001785:Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous; D002199:Capillary Permeability / Q000502:physiology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D004058:Diffusion; D006801:Humans; D007627:Keloid / Q000503:physiopathology; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology*; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000503:physiopathology; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012869:Skin Absorption / Q000502:physiology*; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology