Immunocytological Localization of Lysozyme in Human Skin

Abstract

Antibody against human lysozyme was purified from sera of immunized rabbits using the immuno-absorption technique.After conjugation of the purified antibody against human lysozyme with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), immunofluorescent studies were carried out on both normal human skin and peripheral blood cells. Specific immunofluorescence appeared in the cytoplasm of epidermal cells and was much stronger in the upper cell layer than in the basal cell layer. Only slight fluorescence appeared in the horny layer. In the dermis, linear fluorescence was found along collagen fibers. In the immunocytological examination of peripheral blood cells, lysozyme was found in the cytoplasm of the polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN's).Lysozyme. Human milk lysozyme (HML), human leucocyte lysozyme (HLL), and human skin lysozyme (HSL) were prepared by the method previously reported (1,2).

Synergistic effect of antibacterial agents human β-defensins, cathelicidin LL-37 and lysozyme against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli

“…This fact may explain why in our study the antibacterial activity of LL-37 was mitigated in acidic milieu compared with neutral one. Contrasting LL-37, and supported by our data, human skin lysozyme has been shown to optimally exhibit its antimicrobial activity in acidic milieu [2,21,22].…”

“…Ogawa, one of the authors, is the first researcher to isolate and characterize human skin lysozyme [21]. He has found that the content of lysozyme was 60-120 mg per wet g of human skin [21][22][23]. The bacterial killing mechanism of lysozyme consists in the lytic and non-lytic mechanisms.…”

Immunohistochemical Study of Lysozyme in Human Apocrine Glands

“…On the other hand, Ogawa detected lysozyme in the cytoplasm of epidermal cells (5), and Pappini et al reported that lysozyme was present in epidermal cells, pilosebaceous follicle cells, and all parts of eccrine sweat glands (8).…”

Protective roles of the skin against infection: Implication of naturally occurring human antimicrobial agents β-defensins, cathelicidin LL-37 and lysozyme

“…This content was three-fold higher in the epidermal portion than the dermal one [7][8][9]. Furthermore, the expression of skin lysozyme was found to be much stronger in the upper layer cells than in the basal layer cells.…”

“…In 1971, Ogawa first isolated, characterized and later localized an antibacterial protein lysozyme in human skin [7][8][9]. Ten years later, Zasloff discovered in frog skin magainins, peptides exhibiting potent antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi [10].…”