Functional significance of non-neuronal acetylcholine in skin epithelia

Painful Hidradenitis Suppurativa

“…After 12 days in culture control OTC showed a mature epithelium, whereas nicotine treated OTCs were significantly thicker. 45 Using immunofluorescence analysis, nicotine treated OTCs produced significantly stronger immunoreactivity for the a 3, M(3), and M(5) acetylcholine receptor antisera than control. 45 In the epidermis from patients with ''HS,'' the highest expression of acetylcholine receptors was found around the follicular infundibulum, whereas in the sinus epithelia, it was only weak and the a 7 nAChR immunoreactivity in the hyperplastic HS epidermis was extended to all living layers, thus providing a possible pathophysiologic link with nicotine.…”

“…45 Hana et al used tissue cultures, for example, organotypical coculture system (OTC) to study the effects of nicotine on skin from patients with ''HS'' and compared the effects with skin from normal participants. 45 They noted a significantly thicker epidermis in the presence of nicotine that correlated with the production of nonneuronal acetylcholine in the skin, as suggested by an increased expression of acetylcholine receptors. After 12 days in culture control OTC showed a mature epithelium, whereas nicotine treated OTCs were significantly thicker.…”

Can Animal Skin Diseases or Current Transgenic Mice Serve as a Model for Hidradenitis Suppurativa?

“…They hypothesized that nicotine, as the main toxin in cigarette smoke, might exert its disease-provok- ing capacity through direct activation of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor [31]. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor was strongly expressed in the follicular infundibulum of HS skin [32]. Effects of nicotine e.g.…”

“…Effects of nicotine e.g. include promotion of neutrophil chemotaxis [33], tumour necrosis factor-α secretion by keratinocytes [34], Th17 cell development [35], stimulation of S. aureus growth [36] and most importantly nicotine is an inducer of epidermal hyperplasia [32]. This is of importance since psoriasiform epidermal hyperplasia has recently been described as a histological hallmark of HS [8].…”

“…This is of importance since psoriasiform epidermal hyperplasia has recently been described as a histological hallmark of HS [8]. However, epidermal hyperplasia or acneiform lesions have not been reported after transdermally applying nicotine patches [32], but it has been suggested that this may be due to the time required to induce epidermal hyperplasia or infundibular plugging [32]. It would be an interesting experiment applying nicotine patches on the back of mice for a sufficient period of time to see whether epidermal hyperplasia, infundibular plugging, cyst formation and rupture would occur.…”