earticle

영어

The stratum corneum, the skin's outermost layer, protects against dehydration and infection, but injury from various stressors compromises its barrier function. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the safety of purified water (PW) from filtration systems on skin health and its systemic effects on skin barrier integrity and immune function by evaluating skin conditions on the head, back, and lower back of SKH-1 mice. Seventy-seven female SKH-1 mice were randomly divided into 11 groups (n = 7). Atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin lesions were induced by the use of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) on the lower back, followed by four weeks of daily topical treatments with different aqueous solutions (tap water, PW, low and high doses of Staphylococcus aureus, iron, and chlorine). Furthermore, skin condition was assessed by skin barrier scores on the head, back, and lower back, histopathological analyses, and weekly hair counts. Oxidative stress (OS) and immune response were assessed by measuring serum reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), catalase activity, IgE, histamine, and inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL- 6, IL-10, and IL-12). Our results demonstrated that skin barrier scores were consistently stable across all experimental groups, with no detectable toxic effects of PW on skin barrier function in either the head or back regions. In addition, histopathological data showed no significant abnormal skin reactions on the head and back in the PW-treated group as compared to the DNCB control group. Furthermore, the PW-treated group exhibited lower levels of ROS and NO, with no significant differences in catalase activity, indicating that the PW treatment did not increase OS levels. While IgE and histamine levels were slightly higher in the PW-treated group compared to the normal control, no significant differences were found among the other experimental groups, suggesting that PW does not aggravate an excessive immune response. Additionally, cytokine profiles (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12) remained unaffected and were often lower than those in the DNCB control group, further confirming the safety of PW on skin barrier. Overall, our findings demonstrate that filtered PW offers microbiological safety without inducing skin inflammation or OS; however, more additional mechanistic in vivo and clinical studies are necessary to fully elucidate its mechanisms of action.