title: Orally administered glucosylceramide improves the skin barrier function by upregulating genes associated with the tight junction and cornified envelope formation.
abstract: Dietary glucosylceramide improves the skin barrier function. We used a microarray system to analyze the mRNA expression in SDS-treated dorsal skin of the hairless mouse to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved. The transepidermal water loss of mouse skin was increased by the SDS treatment, this increase being significantly reduced by a prior oral administration of glucosylceramides. The microarray-evaluated mRNA expression ratio showed a statistically significant increase in the expression of genes related to the cornified envelope and tight junction formation when compared with all genes in the glucosylceramide-fed/SDS-treated mouse skin. We then examined the contribution of glucosylceramide metabolites to the tight junction formation of cultured keratinocytes. The SDS treatment of cultured keratinocytes significantly decreased the transepidermal electrical resistance, this decrease being significantly ameliorated in the presence of sphingosine or phytosphingosine, the major metabolites of glucosylceramide. These results suggest that an oral administration of glucosylceramide improved the skin barrier function by up-regulating genes associated with both the cornified envelope and tight junction formation.
authors.affiliation: Shiseido Functional Food Research and Development Center, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Japan. ritsuro.ideta@to.shiseido.co.jp
authors.forename: Ritsuro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ideta
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakuta
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uchiyama
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000287:Administration, Topical; D000818:Animals; D017097:Electric Impedance; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005963:Glucosylceramides / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008812:Mice, Hairless; D012313:RNA / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013110:Sphingosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D005963:Glucosylceramides; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; D012313:RNA; C012491:phytosphingosine; D013110:Sphingosine