Atopic dermatitis in dogs is associated with a high heterogeneity in the distribution of protein-bound lipids within the stratum corneum.

The stratum corneum (SC) was taken from five atopic dogs by tape stripping (12 strips) of non-lesional areas of the abdomen. The free and protein-bound lipids were extracted and analyzed by thin-layer chromatography after fractionation on aminopropyl-bonded silica gel columns. A very frequent feature was the heterogeneity in the lipid content of consecutive layers. This was even more accentuated for the covalently bound lipids, with variations from one layer to another in the concentrations of cholesterol, omega hydroxylated ceramides and omega hydroxylated long-chain fatty acids. Among the free lipids, large amounts of glucosylceramides were present in canine atopic SC although they are nearly absent from the SC of normal dogs. A heterogeneous distribution of lipids was seen in canine atopic SC. These results suggest that strikingly deep variations occur in the lipid metabolism of keratinocytes in the skin of atopic dogs. In order to gain insight into this phenomenon, further studies should be focused on the activity of enzymes involved in both biosynthetic and catabolic processes.