Comparison of cathepsin L activity in cheek and forearm stratum corneum in young female adults.
OBJECTIVE
The objective is to determine the usefulness of cathepsin L (Cat L) activity derived from the stratum corneum as an index of skin conditions by comparing the cheek and the forearm, in 20 female young adults.


METHODS
The sebum quantity, hydration index, melanin index and pH were measured with a sensor system consisting of a sebumeter, a corneometer, a mexameter and a pH meter. The stratum corneum was collected using tape stripping. Cat L and total protein (TP) were analyzed and the Cat L/TP ratio was calculated.


RESULTS
Our results indicated that (i) chronic sun exposure causes an increase in Cat L activity; and (ii) in order to cancel out the influence of the collecting technique, it is very important to measure the Cat L/TP ratio.


CONCLUSIONS
It is considered that the Cat L/TP ratio may be a useful index of the skin conditions in humans.
Yamaguchi
Masaki
M
Graduate School of Engineering, Iwate University, 4-3-5 Ueda, Morioka 020-8551, Japan. masakiy@iwate-u.ac.jp
Tahara
Yusuke
Y
Makino
Teruhiko
T
Shimizu
Tadamichi
T
Date
Akira
A
D000328:Adult; D056668:Cathepsin L; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000032:analysis*; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005542:Forearm; D006801:Humans; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013472:Sunlight; D055815:Young Adult
D002403:Cathepsins; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; C534281:CTSL protein, human; D056668:Cathepsin L