Role of TNF‐α polymorphism ‐308 in neurosensory irritation

Abstract

Neurosensory cutaneous discomfort in response to topical products is common, yet the relationship between symptoms such as stinging and visible irritation is currently unclear. The presence of a polymorphism at position -308 on the TNF-α gene has been associated with skin irritation, i.e., erythema, dryness. Individuals with a G to A transition (AA/GA genotypes) have a lower threshold to experimentally induced irritation than those with the wild type (G allele, GG genotype). We investigated the effect of this polymorphism on neurosensory irritation (NSI). DNA genotyping was used to determine the allele type amongst a population of health care workers. The neurosensory response to lactic acid and water on the nasolabial folds and hands was assessed using a quantitative lactic acid sting test. Both genotypes had a more intense response to lactic acid compared with water on the face. The AA/GA genotypes had directionally higher scores from lactic acid (P = 0.1) and significantly higher stinging intensities from water (P = 0.001) on the face. For the hands, stinging intensities were higher for lactic acid and water amongst the AA/GA genotypes (P = 0.03 and 0.006 respectively). NSI to lactic acid was significantly higher on the face than on the hands (P < 0.05). Our findings indicate that subjects with the A transition at position -308 on the TNF-α gene experience more intense NSI with common ingredients, i.e., lactic acid and water, than those with the wild type. TNF-α polymorphism -308 may account for some of the inter-individual variability in response to skin care practices.

Sensory irritation caused by two organic solvents-short-time single application and repeated occlusive test in stingers and non-stingers

“…No such difference was observed when the large A-beta fibres were selectively stimulated. Another study showed that people with the tumour necrosis factor-α polymorphism at position 308 have more intense stinging responses to lactic acid (20). Previous investigations have reported a connection between the responses in the LAST and the skin bioengineering parameters at baseline or after provocations with test substances (21)(22)(23)(24) [reviewed in (25)].…”

What Is Sensitive Skin? A Systematic Literature Review of Objective Measurements

“…At a histological level, no differences with respect to endothelium markers were observed [33]. With regard to genetic characteristics, nonatopic subjects with a G-to-A transition (TNF-α polymorphism-308) have significantly higher stinging response following the LAST compared to nonatopic subjects with the wild type (p = 0.03), suggesting that TNF-α and an increase in NGF play a role in the perception of skin irritation [60]. …”

“…Therefore, the assessment of erythema in skin irritation has been widely investigated, either by visual assessment [28,37,41,59,60] or by quantitative methods such as tristimulus reflectance colorimetry (a* value) [20,50,51,52], reflectance spectrophotometry (erythema index) [38,53,59] or laser Doppler flowmetry (cutaneous blood flow) [20,41,48,50,51,53,61]. Increased vascular reactivity has been emphasized in the literature as a key player in sensitive skin pathophysiology.…”

Hand hygiene compliance and irritant dermatitis: a juxtaposition of healthcare issues

“…The stinging intensity was higher for AA vs. GG genotypes for both water and lactic acid, despite comparable dorsal skin condition for the groups (Fig. 4a) [167]. The influence of atopy on NSI for the AA and GG genotypes was examined for the hands.…”