linoleic-acid and Pruritus

Atopic dermatitis (AD), chronic eczema, and pruritus hiemalis are a set of prevalent chronic xerotic skin disorders that share clinical features such as dryness, scales, and pruritus. A ceramide deficiency and defective epidermal functions are common in these diseases. This study was designed to assess the effect of ceramide-linoleic acid (LA-Cer)-containing moisturizer as an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of AD, chronic eczema, and pruritus hiemalis. In a 2-month study, patients with one of these three diseases were divided into two groups. The control group was treated with mometasone furoate (0.1%) cream (MF), whereas the treatment group received 0.1% MF in combination with an LA-Cer-containing moisturizer. Capacitance and transepidermal water loss were measured in normal and lesional skin, along with Eczema Assessment Severity Index and pruritus scores at Weeks 0, 2, 4, and 8. The results showed that tropical applications of an LA-Cer-containing moisturizer in combination with a topical glucocorticoid accelerated the reestablishment of epidermal permeability barrier and the amelioration of pruritus in patients with AD and pruritus hiemalis. However, it did not provide the same effect for chronic eczema. Thus, the efficacy of this combination therapy for this set of xerotic disorders requires further evaluation.

Topics: Administration, Cutaneous; Ceramides; Dermatitis, Atopic; Dermatologic Agents; Eczema; Electric Capacitance; Emollients; Glucocorticoids; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Mometasone Furoate; Pruritus; Severity of Illness Index; Treatment Outcome; Water Loss, Insensible

Pruritus frequently reduces quality of life (QOL) in patients with senile xerosis. This study investigated the moisturizing and antipruritic effects of a topical emollient containing a diethylene glycol/dilinoleic acid copolymer (D/DC) in patients with pruritic senile xerosis.. This single-blind study involved 50 subjects, aged 50-75 years. Patients were randomized to self-applied treatment of the lower legs with 10% (n = 20) or 20% (n = 20) D/DC-containing cream, white petrolatum (n = 5), or no treatment (n = 5) thrice daily for four weeks. Clinical scores of skin dryness and scratch marks, skin conductance, and Skindex-16 were evaluated before and after treatment. The degree of pruritus was evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS) score once a week.. Patients treated with 10% and 20% D/DC showed significant improvements in skin dryness and scratch mark scores, as well as increased skin conductance, compared with the untreated group, whereas white petrolatum treatment improved only skin dryness scores. Moreover, patients treated with 20% D/DC showed significant improvements in skin dryness scores and skin conductance compared with white petrolatum treatment. The VAS scores in the D/DC-treated and white petrolatum-treated groups were significantly lower than in the untreated group, being particularly lower after one week of treatment with 20% D/DC.. Topical application of an emollient containing D/DC is effective in improving skin dryness and pruritus in patients with senile xerosis.

Topics: Aged; Emollients; Ethylene Glycols; Female; Galvanic Skin Response; Humans; Leg Dermatoses; Linoleic Acid; Male; Middle Aged; Petrolatum; Pruritus; Single-Blind Method; Skin Aging; Skin Diseases; Visual Analog Scale

Chronic pain and itch are common hypersensitivity syndromes that are affected by endogenous mediators. We applied a systems-based, translational approach to predict, discover, and characterize mediators of pain and itch that are regulated by diet and inflammation. Profiling of tissue-specific precursor abundance and biosynthetic gene expression predicted that inflamed skin would be abundant in four previously unknown 11-hydroxy-epoxy- or 11-keto-epoxy-octadecenoate linoleic acid derivatives and four previously identified 9- or 13-hydroxy-epoxy- or 9- or 13-keto-epoxy-octadecenoate linoleic acid derivatives. All of these mediators were confirmed to be abundant in rat and human skin by mass spectrometry. However, only the two 11-hydroxy-epoxy-octadecenoates sensitized rat dorsal root ganglion neurons to release more calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), which is involved in pain transmission, in response to low pH (which mimics an inflammatory state) or capsaicin (which activates ion channels involved in nociception). The two 11-hydroxy-epoxy-octadecenoates share a 3-hydroxy-

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Animals; Case-Control Studies; Female; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Inflammation; Linoleic Acid; Male; Mice; Middle Aged; Nociceptors; Pain; Pruritus; Psoriasis; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; Sensory Receptor Cells; Skin; Systems Analysis

Hairless mice fed a special diet, HR-AD, develop atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin inflammation with skin barrier defects and itch-related scratching; however, the ingredient(s) causing the dermatitis remains unclear. In this study, we examined whether deficiency of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is involved in HR-AD-induced AD. High-purity PUFAs were given to HR-AD-fed mice by dietary supplementation or gavage. Fatty acid levels in the serum and skin were determined by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In serum from HR-AD-fed mice, linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n-6) and α-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3), as well as their metabolites, were markedly decreased. When mice were fed HR-AD supplemented with LA or ALA in an amount equal to that contained in a normal diet, the development of AD-like symptoms was completely prevented by supplementation with LA but not with ALA. Relatively high dose of ALA slightly alleviated skin barrier defects, but did neither itch-related scratching nor skin inflammation. On the other hand, gavage administration of LA metabolites, such as γ-linolenic acid and arachidonic acid (AA), significantly ameliorated established dermatitis without increasing LA in the serum and skin. Moreover, AA-induced amelioration of dermatitis was not affected by pharmacological blockade of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) and cyclooxygenase (COX), suggesting no involvement of 5-LOX- or COX-mediated AA metabolites in the amelioration. In conclusion, our results indicate that deficiency of n-6 PUFAs is mainly responsible for AD-like symptoms by HR-AD feeding. Thus, this model could be useful for studying the pathomechanisms associated with deficiency of n-6 PUFAs in AD.

Topics: Animals; Arachidonic Acid; Dermatitis, Atopic; Diet; Dietary Fats, Unsaturated; Disease Models, Animal; Fatty Acids; Fatty Acids, Omega-3; Fatty Acids, Omega-6; Female; Linoleic Acid; Mice; Mice, Hairless; Pruritus; Skin

The effects of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) against anaphylaxis and allergic pruritus were investigated using a in vivo assay. Inhibitory effects of CLA were observed on the immediate (type 1) hypersensitivity reaction, with CLA significantly suppressing the decrease in blood pressure (BP) and blood flow (BF) induced by the hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL)-anaphylactic reaction in ddY mice. After oral administration, CLA showed antipruritic activity, with significant inhibition of scratching behavior induced by compound 48/80 (COM), a histamine-release agent. When painted onto the skin, CLA also inhibited COM, platelet-activating factor, and protease-induced scratching behavior, and COM-induced vasodilation of the skin. CLA offers promise as a drug for the treatment of allergic and inflammatory pruritus not only as an oral but also a topical agent. The present findings demonstrate that CLA can be effective for the prevention and treatment of allergic disease with severe pruritus.

Topics: Anaphylaxis; Animals; Linoleic Acid; Male; Mice; Pruritus; Rats; Rats, Wistar

Topics: Adult; Aged; Alkanes; Biopsy; Child; Cosmetics; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact; Dermatitis, Contact; Dermatitis, Irritant; Dermatitis, Phototoxic; Diagnosis, Differential; Disease Outbreaks; Female; Haptens; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Male; Middle Aged; Patch Tests; Product Surveillance, Postmarketing; Pruritus; Skin; Sunlight; Switzerland; Urticaria; Vitamin E

Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Ascites; Chlorothiazide; Diet, Sodium-Restricted; Dietary Carbohydrates; Dietary Proteins; Diuretics; Humans; Hypercholesterolemia; Linoleic Acid; Liver Cirrhosis; Organomercury Compounds; Pruritus; Rest; Testosterone; Tolbutamide