Abstract
In the extremely preterm infant, high transepidermal water loss (TEWL) can result in severe dehydration. TEWL has been attributed to the structural properties of the epidermis but might also be influenced by mechanisms that facilitate water transport. To investigate whether aquaporins (AQP) may be involved in the extreme losses of water through immature skin, we examined the presence and cellular distributions of AQP-1 and AQP-3 in embryonic and adult rat skin by immunohistochemistry. The expression of AQP mRNA in skin was analyzed with the use of semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR. In rat pups of different embryonic (E) and postnatal (P) ages (days), TEWL and skin hydration were measured. AQP-1 was detected in dermal capillaries, and AQP-3 was abundant in basal epidermal layers. Both AQP displayed several times higher expression in embryonic than in adult skin. TEWL was highest at embryonic day 18 (E18) (133 ± 18 g/m2h) and lower at E20 (25 ± 1 g/m2h) and P4 (9 ± 2 g/m2h). Skin hydration measured as skin electrical capacitance paralleled TEWL, being highest in fetal skin (794 ± 15 pF at E18) and decreasing to 109 ± 11 pF at E20 and to 0 ± 0 pF at P4. We conclude that, as in infants, water loss through the skin of rats decreases markedly with maturation during the perinatal period. The expression and cellular localization of the AQP are such that they might influence skin hydration and water transport and contribute to the high losses of water through the immature skin.
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Abbreviations
- TEWL:
-
transepidermal water loss
- AQP:
-
aquaporin
- E:
-
embryonic
- P:
-
postnatal
- RT:
-
reverse transcription
- SEC:
-
skin electrical capacitance
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Acknowledgements
We thank Barbro Kjällström, Mette Vistisen, and Inger Merete Paulsen for expert technical assistance.
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This study was supported by the Swedish Research Council Grants 04998 (G.S.) and 03644 (A.A.), the Gillbergska Foundation, HRH the Crown Princess Lovisa's Society for Child Medical Care, the Märta and Gunnar V. Philipsson Foundation, the Samaritan Foundation, the General Maternity Hospital Foundation, the Danish Research Foundation, the European Commission, and the Danish Medical Research Council.
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Ågren, J., Zelenin, S., Håkansson, M. et al. Transepidermal Water Loss in Developing Rats: Role of Aquaporins in the Immature Skin. Pediatr Res 53, 558–565 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1203/01.PDR.0000055777.25933.98
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/01.PDR.0000055777.25933.98
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