Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Davis, California » Western Human Nutrition Research Center » Obesity and Metabolism Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #328485

Title: Sweat lipid mediator profiling: a non-invasive approach for cutaneous research

Author
item AGRAWAL, KARAN - University Of California
item HASSOUN, LAUREN - University Of California
item NOTAY, MANISHA - University Of California
item FOOLAD, NEGAR - University Of California
item SIVAMANI, RAJA - University Of California
item Newman, John

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/23/2016
Publication Date: 5/18/2016
Citation: Agrawal, K., Hassoun, L., Notay, M., Foolad, N., Sivamani, R.K., Newman, J.W. 2016. Inflammatory Mediator Profiling in Sweat: A Potential Noninvasive Diagnostic for Inflammatory Skin Diseases. Meeting Abstract. LIPID MAPS Annual Meeting 2016, May 17-18, 2016, La Jolla, CA.

Interpretive Summary: Sweat is a complex biological fluid with potential diagnostic value for the investigation of skin disorders. Previous efforts in sweat testing focused on analysis of small molecules and ions for forensic and diagnostic testing, but with advances in analytical and sweat collection techniques, there has been recent interest in conducting metabolomic analyses of sweat to establish biomarkers for and understand mechanisms of skin inflammation and repair. Our study aims to characterize the lipid mediator profile in sweat and identify differences in these profiles between subjects with and without atopic dermatitis. Using the Macroduct® collection device, originally developed for cystic fibrosis diagnostic testing of sweat chloride in neonates, sweat (40-100 µL) was collected from subjects with and without atopic dermatitis (n = 12 per group), and profiled over 100 lipid mediators including oxylipins, endocannabinoids and ceramides/sphingoid bases using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 61 lipid mediators including 39 oxylipins, 13 endocannabinoids and 9 ceramides/ sphingoid bases were detected in the sweat. Increases in concentrations of linoleate-derived diols and triols, and C30-C40 [NS] ceramides were observed in the sweat of subjects with atopic dermatitis (p < 0.05, two-tailed Student’s t-test). Separation of the subject groups was possible using partial least squares-discriminant analysis with separation primarily due to increased concentrations of [NS]-type ceramides in the sweat of subjects with atopic dermatitis. Our current findings demonstrate the presence of lipid mediators in sweat, and suggest differences in the lipid mediator profile between subjects with and without atopic dermatitis. Sweat mediator profiling therefore may provide a non-invasive assessment of atopic dermatitis pathogenesis and mechanistic progression, and aid in novel target elucidation and assessment of therapeutic efficacy.

Technical Abstract: Sweat is a complex biological fluid with potential diagnostic value for the investigation of skin disorders. Previous efforts in sweat testing focused on analysis of small molecules and ions for forensic and diagnostic testing, but with advances in analytical and sweat collection techniques, there has been recent interest in conducting metabolomic analyses of sweat to establish biomarkers for and understand mechanisms of skin inflammation and repair. Our study aims to characterize the lipid mediator profile in sweat and identify differences in these profiles between subjects with and without atopic dermatitis. Using the Macroduct® collection device, originally developed for cystic fibrosis diagnostic testing of sweat chloride in neonates, sweat (40-100 µL) was collected from subjects with and without atopic dermatitis (n = 12 per group), and profiled over 100 lipid mediators including oxylipins, endocannabinoids and ceramides/sphingoid bases using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 61 lipid mediators including 39 oxylipins, 13 endocannabinoids and 9 ceramides/ sphingoid bases were detected in the sweat. Increases in concentrations of linoleate-derived diols and triols, and C30-C40 [NS] ceramides were observed in the sweat of subjects with atopic dermatitis (p < 0.05, two-tailed Student’s t-test). Separation of the subject groups was possible using partial least squares-discriminant analysis with separation primarily due to increased concentrations of [NS]-type ceramides in the sweat of subjects with atopic dermatitis. Our current findings demonstrate the presence of lipid mediators in sweat, and suggest differences in the lipid mediator profile between subjects with and without atopic dermatitis. Sweat mediator profiling therefore may provide a non-invasive assessment of atopic dermatitis pathogenesis and mechanistic progression, and aid in novel target elucidation and assessment of therapeutic efficacy.