Endocrine Abstracts

Cortisol-based therapy is still the most potent anti-inflammatory treatment available for skin conditions such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of components of the steroidogenic pathway in keratinocytes, though surprisingly none have reported that these cells, which form up to 90% of the epidermis are able to synthesise cortisol1,2. Here, we demonstrate that primary human keratinocytes (PHK) are capable of de no...

Background: Inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis induce changes in the skin-secretome, which potentially lead to dysfunction of key metabolic tissues and increased risk of psoriasis co-morbidities, such as type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, the proteins and peptides that make up the skin-secretome remain poorly characterised. Proteomic analysis has identified vimentin, parathymosin, prothymosin-alpha, dermcidin, and desmin as potential skin-secretome factors, which may in...

The inflammatory skin disease psoriasis is an independent risk-factor for development of insulin resistance. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly elucidated. We used human and mouse models of psoriasis to investigate a potential endocrine role of the skin in regulating subcutaneous adipose tissue (sAT) and pancreatic islet function. Mice were administered a daily topical dose (75 mg) of imiquimod (IMQ), or Vaseline control, to a shaved dorsal region for 4 days. IPG...