Talk:Integumentary System Development - Vernix Caseosa
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Cite this page: Hill, M.A. (2024, April 27) Embryology Integumentary System Development - Vernix Caseosa. Retrieved from https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Talk:Integumentary_System_Development_-_Vernix_Caseosa |
2020
2019
Nishijima K, Yoneda M, Hirai T, Takakuwa K & Enomoto T. (2019). Biology of the vernix caseosa: A review. J. Obstet. Gynaecol. Res. , 45, 2145-2149. PMID: 31507021 DOI.
Biology of the vernix caseosa: A review.
Abstract The vernix caseosa is a complex membranous structure comprising 80% water, 10% protein, and 10% lipids including barrier lipids such as ceramides, free fatty acids, phospholipids and cholesterol, synthesized partly by fetal sebaceous glands during the last trimester of pregnancy in an antero-posterior and dorsoventral manner. Because of its lipid content, vernix is hydrophobic and protects the skin from excessive water exposure during the development of the stratum corneum. The vernix caseosa has various functions during fetal transition from an intrauterine to an extrauterine environment, including lubrication of the birth canal during parturition, barrier function to prevent water loss, temperature regulation, for innate immunity and for intestinal development. This review discusses the evidence supporting the prenatal and postnatal functions of vernix caseosa, along with its structure, composition, and physical and biological characteristics. Understanding the biology of the vernix may facilitate improved care of preterm infants immediately post-partum. © 2019 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. KEYWORDS: amniotic fluid; fetus; gastrointestinal development; neonate; stratum corneum; vernix caseosa PMID: 31507021 DOI: 10.1111/jog.14103
2018
Applying a vernix caseosa based formulation accelerates skin barrier repair by modulating lipid biosynthesis
J Lipid Res. 2018 Feb;59(2):250-260. doi: 10.1194/jlr.M079186. Epub 2017 Dec 7.
Boiten WA1, Berkers T1, Absalah S1, van Smeden J1, Lavrijsen APM2, Bouwstra JA3.
Abstract
Restoring the lipid homeostasis of the stratum corneum (SC) is a common strategy to enhance skin barrier function. Here, we used a ceramide containing vernix caseosa (VC)-based formulation and were able to accelerate barrier recovery in healthy volunteers. The recovery was examined over 16 days by monitoring trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) after barrier disruption by tape-stripping. Four skin sites were used to examine the effects of both treatment and barrier recovery. After 16 days, samples were harvested at these sites to examine the SC ceramide composition and lipid organization. Changes in ceramide profiles were identified using principal component analysis. After barrier recovery, the untreated sites showed increased levels of ceramide subclass AS and ceramides with a 34 total carbon-atom chain length, while the mean ceramide chain length was reduced. These changes were diminished by treatment with the studied formulation, which concurrently increased the formulated ceramides. Correlations were observed between SC lipid composition, lipid organization, and TEWL, and changes in the ceramide subclass composition suggest changes in the ceramide biosynthesis. These results suggest that VC-based formulations enhance skin barrier recovery and are attractive candidates to treat skin disorders with impaired barrier properties. KEYWORDS: barrier recovery; clinical study; epidermis; lipid organization; lipidomics; mass spectrometry; sphingolipids; stratum corneum; treatment PMID: 29217624 PMCID: PMC5794420 [Available on 2019-02-01] DOI: 10.1194/jlr.M079186
Skin barrier in the neonate
Pediatr Dermatol. 2018 Mar;35 Suppl 1:s5-s9. doi: 10.1111/pde.13482.
Taïeb A1.
Abstract The purpose of this review is to focus on determinants of skin barrier function in neonates at molecular and cellular levels. The skin barrier is critical in terms of water and gas exchanges during fetal life and undergoes rapid changes at birth, followed by a progressive maturation. Consequences of skin barrier disruption can be extremely detrimental or lethal, as shown in severe genetic epidermal defects. In this context, the fine-tuned rapid adaptation from a liquid to a gaseous milieu is not fully understood. The stratum corneum provides an air-liquid barrier, tight junctions in the granular layer provide a liquid-liquid barrier, aquaporins represent a plumbing system for water-glycerol as well as gas exchanges, and Langerhans cells are central to the immunological barrier. Acid mantle formation is essential for appropriate interaction between the skin and microbial symbionts. Temperature and pH regulate the key enzyme activities responsible for the integrity of the stratum corneum. Skin barrier permeability can be assessed noninvasively and simply with miniaturized devices measuring transepidermal water loss, where water flow is faster in cases of a damaged or functionally premature barrier. New avenues for therapeutic skin barrier research in neonates include a better delineation of the maturation of aquaporins in water balance and gas exchanges from fetal to neonatal life and a better understanding of the role of vernix caseosa, in particular, for the implantation of a healthy microbiote. Practical applications should be derived for caring for infant skin, particularly in fragile zones, such as the diaper area. KEYWORDS: diapered skin; epidermal homeostasis; infant skin; neonatal skin; neonate; skin barrier; vernix caseosa PMID: 29596733 DOI: 10.1111/pde.13482
2014
Newborn boys and girls differ in the lipid composition of vernix caseosa
PLoS One. 2014 Jun 9;9(6):e99173. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099173. eCollection 2014.
Míková R1, Vrkoslav V2, Hanus R2, Háková E3, Hábová Z4, Doležal A4, Plavka R4, Coufal P5, Cvačka J2.
Erratum in PLoS One. 2014;9(9):e107847.
Abstract Vernix caseosa protects the skin of a human fetus during the last trimester of pregnancy and of a newborn after the delivery. Besides its cellular and proteinaceous components, an important constituent and functional agent is a complex lipid fraction, implicated in a multitude of salubrious effects of vernix caseosa. Little is known about how the chemical composition of vernix caseosa lipids is affected by various biological characteristics of the baby, such as the gestational age, birth weight, and, last but not least, the gender of the newborn. This study reports on the chemical variability of lipids contained in the vernix caseosa of twenty newborn girls and boys and shows that the quantitative patterns of the lipids are sex-specific. The specificity of lipids was investigated at the level of fatty acids in the total lipid extracts and intact lipids of several neutral lipid classes. Hydrocarbons, wax esters, cholesteryl esters, diol diesters and triacylglycerols were isolated using optimized semipreparative thin-layer chromatography, and the molecular species within each class were characterized using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. Statistical evaluation revealed significant quantitative sex-related differences in the lipid composition of vernix caseosa among the newborns, pronounced in the two lipid classes associated with the activity of sebaceous glands. Higher proportions of wax esters and triacylglycerols with longer hydrocarbon chains were observed in newborn girls. PMID: 24911066 PMCID: PMC4049714 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099173
