2023-06-09 11:41:20
Research has found that blocking the IL-17 protein reduces the proinflammatory state and delays the onset of age-related traits.
Scientists from the Barcelona Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) and the National Center for Genomic Analysis (CNAG) have discovered that the IL-17 protein plays a determining role in the aging process of the skin and that by blocking its function it reduces the pro-inflammatory state and delays the appearance of age-related traits.
The discovery, published by the magazine Nature Agingopens new perspectives to develop therapies to improve skin healthaccording to the researchers, led by Dr. Guiomar Solanas, Salvador Aznar Benitah, both from the IRB, and Holger Heyn, from the CNAG.
Researchers have recalled that Skin aging is characterized by a series of structural and functional changes. that gradually contribute to the deterioration and frailty associated with age.
Aging skin has a reduced regenerative capacity, poor healing and decreased barrier function, according to scientists, who have described the changes that different types of cells experience with aging and, in particular, have identified how some immune cells in the skin have elevated levels of IL-17.
“Our results show that IL-17 is involved in various functions related to aging and that blocking this protein slows down the appearance of various deficiencies associated with aging skinand this opens up new possibilities for treating some of the symptoms or facilitating the recovery of the skin after surgery, for example”, highlighted Aznar Benitah, who is head of the IRB Cancer and Stem Cells laboratory.
“The sequencing of individual cells has allowed us to delve into the complexity of the cell types and states that make up the skin and how these change throughout life. We found not only differences in the composition of aging skin, but also changes in the activity states of cells“, added the head of the CNAG Single Cell Genomics laboratory, Holger Heyn.
According to Heyn, in addition to a wide variety of epithelial cells, hair follicle cells, and other components, the skin also houses cells of the immune systemwhich play a crucial role in preventing infection and protecting against further insults.
This work describes how, during aging, some of these immune cells, specifically gamma delta T cells, innate lymphoid cells and CD4+ T cells, significantly increase their presence in the skin. These same cells also show very high levels of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-17.
“Aging is associated with a situation of mild but persistent inflammationand in the skin this is characterized by a significant increase in IL-17, which causes deterioration in the skin”, detailed Paloma Sol, first author of the work, in which Elisabetta Mereu, now a researcher at the Instituto Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Center.
Protein related to psoriasis
Previous studies have already described that IL-17 is linked to some autoimmune skin diseasessuch as psoriasis, and there are treatments that precisely block this protein.
The scientists studied the response to blocking treatment of IL-17 activity in several aspects, including hair follicle growth, transepidermal water loss, wound healing, and genetic markers of aging. These four parameters showed an improvement after treatment, as the acquisition of these aging traits was delayed.
“The IL-17 protein is essential for vital functions in the body, such as defense against microbes or wound healing, so permanently blocking it would not be an option. What I know We have observed is that its temporary inhibition offers benefits that may be interesting at a therapeutic level.“, concluded the researcher Guiomar Solanas.
The IRB scientists are now thinking of investigating which aging processes are related to inflammatory states in the skin and how these are linked to IL-17, in addition to trying to find out whether this protein plays any role in the aging and deterioration of other tissues and organs.
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