Zinc-based treatment of atopic dermatitis and other skin diseases

Abstract

The aim of the work was to study the effect of zinc pyrithione and zinc oxide on stress-associated protein expression in blood lymphocytes of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) depending on the serum concentration of zinc.

Methods. Blood was collected in fasting state. Blood concentration of zinc was determined by absorption spectroscopy. Lymphocytes were isolated by the Ficoll/verografin density gradient centrifugation and stained with monoclonal antibodies to intracellular proteins. The fluorescence intensity was measured on a FACSCalibur flow cytometer using the SimulSet software. Statistical analysis was performed using the Biostatistic software.

Results. The study showed the effect of zinc serum concentration at baseline on stress-dependent proteins in lymphocytes. In zinc deficiency, the content of cell cycle inhibitor p21 in lymphocytes was increased whereas the zinc pyrithione treatment reduced the p21 expression. Serum zinc deficiency in patients with AD was associated with increased expression of kinase proteins p38 and JNK compared to patients without zinc deficiency; in patients with AD, the kinase protein expression decreased after administration of zinc pyrithione. In AD patients with zinc deficiency, the lymphocyte expression of the DNAJA3, DNAJB6 and DNAJC15 molecular chaperones was increased. The zinc pyrithione treatment restricted the expression of these stress proteins.

Conclusions. Serum zinc deficiency in patients with AD is associated with the development of stress in peripheral blood lymphocytes. The zinc pyrithione treatment restricts the expression of stress-dependent proteins in lymphocytes of patients with AD.