Background: Air pollution is killing close to 5 million people a year, and harming billions more. Air pollution levels remain extremely high in many parts of the world, and air pollution-associated premature deaths have been reported for urbanized areas, particularly linked to the presence of airborne nano-sized and ultrafine particles. Main text: To date, most of the research studies did focus on the adverse effects of air pollution on the human cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Although the skin is in direct contact with air pollutants, their damaging effects on the skin are still under investigation. Epidemiological data suggested a correlation between exposure to air pollutants and aggravation of symptoms of chronic immunological skin diseases. In this study, a systematic literature review was conducted to understand the current knowledge on the effects of airborne particulate matter on human skin. It aims at providing a deeper understanding of the interactions between air pollutants and skin to further assess their potential risks for human health. Conclusion: Particulate matter was shown to induce a skin barrier dysfunction and provoke the formation of reactive oxygen species through direct and indirect mechanisms, leading to oxidative stress and induced activation of the inflammatory cascade in human skin. Moreover, a positive correlation was reported between extrinsic aging and atopic eczema relative risk with increasing particulate matter exposure.

Epidermal β-glucocerebrosidase (GBA1), an acid β-glucosidase normally located in lysosomes, converts (glucosyl)ceramides into ceramides, which is crucial to generate an optimal barrier function of the outermost skin layer, the stratum corneum (SC). Here we report on two developed in situ methods to localize active GBA in human epidermis: ) an optimized zymography method that is less labor intensive and visualizes enzymatic activity with higher resolution than currently reported methods using either substrate 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-D-glucopyranoside or resorufin-β-D-glucopyranoside; and) a novel technique to visualize active GBA1 molecules by their specific labeling with a fluorescent activity-based probe (ABP), MDW941. The latter method pro-ved to be more robust and sensitive, provided higher resolution microscopic images, and was less prone to sample preparation effects. Moreover, in contrast to the zymography substrates that react with various β-glucosidases, MDW941 specifically labeled GBA1. We demonstrate that active GBA1 in the epidermis is primarily located in the extracellular lipid matrix at the interface of the viable epidermis and the lower layers of the SC. With ABP-labeling, we observed reduced GBA1 activity in 3D-cultured skin models when supplemented with the reversible inhibitor, isofagomine, irrespective of GBA expression. This inhibition affected the SC ceramide composition: MS analysis revealed an inhibitor-dependent increase in the glucosylceramide:ceramide ratio.

Tissue models mimic the complex 3D structure of human tissues, which allows the study of pathologies and the development of new therapeutic strategies. The introduction of perfusion overcomes the diffusion limitation and enables the formation of larger tissue constructs. Furthermore, it provides the possibility to investigate the effects of hematogenously administered medications. In this study, the applicability of hydrophilic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membranes as vessel‐like constructs for further use in perfused tissue models is evaluated. The presented approach allows the formation of stable and leakproof tubes with a mean diameter of 654.7 µm and a wall thickness of 84.2 µm. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) chip acts as a perfusion bioreactor and provides sterile conditions. As proof of concept, endothelial cells adhere to the tube's wall, express vascular endothelial cadherin (VE‐cadherin) between neighboring cells, and resist perfusion at a shear rate of 0.036 N m−2 for 48 h. Furthermore, the endothelial cell layer delays significantly the diffusion of fluorescently labeled molecules into the surrounding collagen matrix and leads to a twofold reduced diffusion velocity. This approach represents a cost‐effective alternative to introduce stable vessel‐like constructs into tissue models, which allows adapting the surrounding matrix to the tissue properties in vivo.

A three-dimensional human epidermis model reconstructed from neonatal primary keratinocytes is presented. Herein, a protocol for the cultivation process and the characterization of the model is described. Neonatal primary keratinocytes are grown submerged on permeable polycarbonate inserts and lifted to the air-liquid interface three days after seeding. After fourteen days of stimulation with defined growth factors and ascorbic acid in high calcium culture medium, the model is fully differentiated.Histological analysis revealed a completely stratified epidermis, mimicking the morphology of native human skin. To characterize the model and its barrier functions, protein levels and localization specific for early-stage keratinocyte differentiation (i.e., keratin 10), late-stage differentiation (i.e., involucrin, loricrin, and filaggrin) and tissue adhesion (i.e., desmoglein 1), were assessed by immunofluorescence. The tissue barrier integrity was further evaluated by measuring transepithelial electrical resistance. Reconstructed human epidermis was responsive to proinflammatory stimuli (i.e., lipopolysaccharide and tumor necrosis factor alpha), leading to increased cytokine release (i.e., interleukin 1 alpha and interleukin 8). This protocol represents a straightforward and reproducible in vitro method to cultivate reconstructed human epidermis as a tool to assess environmental effects and a broad range of skin-related studies.

A three-dimensional human epidermis model reconstructed from neonatal primary keratinocytes is presented. Herein, a protocol for the cultivation process and the characterization of the model is described. Neonatal primary keratinocytes are grown submerged on permeable polycarbonate inserts and lifted to the air-liquid interface three days after seeding. After fourteen days of stimulation with defined growth factors and ascorbic acid in high calcium culture medium, the model is fully differentiated.Histological analysis revealed a completely stratified epidermis, mimicking the morphology of native human skin. To characterize the model and its barrier functions, protein levels and localization specific for early-stage keratinocyte differentiation (i.e., keratin 10), late-stage differentiation (i.e., involucrin, loricrin, and filaggrin) and tissue adhesion (i.e., desmoglein 1), were assessed by immunofluorescence. The tissue barrier integrity was further evaluated by measuring transepithelial electrical resistance. Reconstructed human epidermis was responsive to proinflammatory stimuli (i.e., lipopolysaccharide and tumor necrosis factor alpha), leading to increased cytokine release (i.e., interleukin 1 alpha and interleukin 8). This protocol represents a straightforward and reproducible in vitro method to cultivate reconstructed human epidermis as a tool to assess environmental effects and a broad range of skin-related studies.

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