Fatty acid profiles in various lipid fractions in the female epidermis. Does the body site and age matter?

Adriana Mika; Alicja Pakiet; Orest Szczygielski; Katarzyna Woźniak; Katarzyna Osipowicz; Cezary Kowalewski; Natalia Krześniak; Bartłomiej H. Noszczyk; Katarzyna Wertheim-Tysarowska

doi:10.18388/abp.2020_6131

Adriana Mika Department of Pharmaceutical Biochemistry, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
Alicja Pakiet Department of Environmental Analytics, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Gdańsk, Poland
Orest Szczygielski Clinic of Surgery of Children and Adolescents, Institute of Mother and Child, Warsaw, Poland
Katarzyna Woźniak Department of Dermatology and Immunodermatology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2211-2025
Katarzyna Osipowicz Department of Dermatology and Immunodermatology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0666-8752
Cezary Kowalewski Department of Dermatology and Immunodermatology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
Natalia Krześniak Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Prof. W. Orlowski Memorial Hospital, Warsaw, Poland
Bartłomiej H. Noszczyk Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Prof. W. Orlowski Memorial Hospital, Warsaw, Poland
Katarzyna Wertheim-Tysarowska Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Mother and Child, Warsaw, Poland

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18388/abp.2020_6131

Abstract

Background: The epidermis forms the barrier between an organism and its external environment. Although one of the major functional elements of the epidermis is the lipid-enriched extracellular matrix, containing mainly ceramides, cholesterol (CHOL) and free fatty acids, the data are limited regarding the lipid profile in the epidermis. The aim of the study was to determine the whole profile of fatty acids (FAs) in the epidermis and to examine any dependence according to the age of the subject and the site on the epidermis. Materials and methods: Epidermis extracts obtained from 10 adults and 6 children were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results: In total, 74 FAs in the human epidermis were identified. We observed the highest amounts of neutral lipids (including CHOL) compared to other lipid fractions in the epidermis, regardless of age. However, we detected an age-dependent content of the major lipid fractions, where the main difference was in the levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids. There were also differences in the lipid profile between various sites of the body, e.g. samples from the breast and abdomen were enriched with very long-chain fatty acids compared to the limb. Conclusion: Our research provides novel data concerning the lipid profile in the epidermis, gives further insight into skin biology and proves that the epidermis is a highly dynamic structure.