Resumen de Cutaneous Barriers and Skin Immunity: Differentiating A Connected Network
Stefanie Eyerich , Kilian Eyerich , Claudia Traidl Hoffmann, Tilo Biedermann
Highlights The skin acts as an active immune organ, where microbiome, chemical, physical, and immune barriers form an interactive network. Barrier disruption contributes to pathogenic skin conditions, such as infections, inflammation, allergy, or cancer.
The microbiome is a complex ecosystem where commensals keep pathogenic bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, under control and instruct cutaneous immunity.
The chemical barrier maintains the moisture and acid mantle of the skin, which inhibit the growth of bacterial pathogens.
Keratinocytes form the physical barrier, preserving the structure of the skin by forming tight junctions and carrying out immune functions, such as the secretion of cytokines, antimicrobial peptides, and antigen presentation.
The immune barrier comprises innate and adaptive immune cells, which are either resident or recruited to the skin and sense danger signals, protect against pathogens, and mount memory responses.
The skin is the outermost barrier of the organism that ensures protection from external harm. Lately, our view of the skin has evolved from an inert mechanical barrier to an active organ that can sense danger signals and mount perfectly adapted defense measures in response to invading pathogens. This Review highlights the different levels of the cutaneous barrier (the microbiome, chemical, physical, and immune barriers), their characteristics, and functional, highly interconnected network of cells and mediators that allow balanced defense measures to protect the body and maintain barrier integrity.
