Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease associated with an impaired skin barrier. The skin barrier function is dependent on the extracellular lipid matrix which surrounds the corneocytes in the stratum corneum. Ceramides comprise essential components of this matrix.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCompromised hepatic drug metabolism in response to proinflammatory cytokine release is primarily attributed to downregulation of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. However, whether inflammation also affects other phase I and phase II drug metabolizing enzymes (DMEs), such as the flavin monooxygenases (FMOs), carboxylesterases (CESs), and UDP glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs), remains unclear. This study aimed to decipher the impact of physiologically relevant concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines on expression and activity of phase I and phase II enzymes, to establish a hierarchy of their sensitivity as compared with the CYPs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImiquimod (IMQ; brand name Aldara®) is a registered topical agent that has been proven to induce local inflammation via the Toll-like receptor (TLR)7 pathway. The purpose of this study was to characterize TLR7-mediated inflammation following 7 days (168 h) of topical IMQ exposure in healthy volunteers, and to compare the effects of short exposure (48 h-72 h) with prolonged exposure (120 h-168 h). IMQ (100mg) was applied under occlusion to 5 different tape-stripped treatment sites on the back of 10 healthy participants for a maximum of 7 consecutive days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNon-healing wounds represent a substantial medical burden with few effective treatments available. To address this challenge, we developed a novel epidermal wound healing model using suction blisters in healthy volunteers. This model allowed for the comprehensive assessment of wound healing dynamics and the evaluation of INM-755, a topical cream containing cannabinol, as a potential therapeutic agent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF