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Biomedicines
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Skin Diseases: From Molecular Mechanisms to Novel Therapeutic Approaches
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Skin Diseases: From Molecular Mechanisms to Novel Therapeutic Approaches

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular and Translational Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 1073

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Guangtong Deng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
Interests: cell death; treatment; skin diseases; melanoma

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The skin, the largest organ of the human body, is associated with diseases that rank first in global prevalence and third in disease burden. Advances in basic, translational, and clinical research have deepened our understanding of pathogenesis, drug development, and therapeutic strategies in the context of skin diseases. Molecular dependencies identified in these processes have enabled clinicians to refine disease classification, diagnosis, and treatment approaches, thereby advancing personalized precision medicine. However, the pathogenesis of and therapeutic strategies for skin diseases warrant further exploration. This Special Issue invites the submission of original research and review articles that focus on molecular mechanisms and therapeutic strategies, with the aim of elucidating molecular factors (including but not limited to genetic, epigenetic, signaling, metabolic, and immune-related components) and the underlying dermatological pathogenesis and developing therapeutic interventions targeting these factors. Topics of particular interest include the following:

  1. Therapeutic potential of targeting cell death pathways in skin diseases;
  2. Molecular regulatory networks in skin barrier dysfunction;
  3. Interplay between the skin microbiome and immune microenvironment;
  4. Epigenetic reprogramming in chronic inflammatory skin diseases;
  5. Metabolic adaptations in the skin tumor microenvironment;
  6. Non-histaminergic mechanisms of pruritus signaling pathways;
  7. Drug resistance mechanisms and dynamic monitoring technologies;
  8. Stem cell exhaustion mechanisms in skin aging.

We look forward to receiving your contributions to this Special Issue.

Dr. Guangtong Deng
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • skin diseases
  • cell death
  • ferroptosis
  • cuproptosis
  • melanoma
  • cancer immunotherapy
  • psoriasis

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 3689 KB  
Article
Effectiveness of Exosomes from Different Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Treatment of Psoriasis: A Murine Study and Meta-Analysis of Experimental Studies
by Yu-Chen Huang, Chao-Yuan Chang and Chun-Jen Huang
Biomedicines 2025, 13(9), 2093; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13092093 - 28 Aug 2025
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Psoriasis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease. Evidence on the efficacy of different mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) exosomes for psoriasis remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of different MSC exosomes in mitigating psoriasis. Methods: The efficacy of [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Psoriasis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease. Evidence on the efficacy of different mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) exosomes for psoriasis remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of different MSC exosomes in mitigating psoriasis. Methods: The efficacy of human placenta MSC (hPMSC) and human umbilical cord MSC (hUCMSC) exosomes was compared in an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis murine model. A meta-analysis was performed to incorporate the results of studies using IMQ-induced psoriasis murine models to compare MSC exosome treatments (exosome group) with vehicle or no-treatment controls (control group). Results: In this murine study, both the hPMSC and hUCMSC exosomes showed better effectiveness in reducing epidermal thickness and skin tissue cytokines than controls, but no significant difference was observed between the two MSC exosomes. Seven studies were included in the meta-analysis. Clinical severity scores were significantly lower in the exosome group than in the controls (standardized mean difference [SMD]: −1.886; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −3.047 to −0.724). Epidermal thickness was significantly reduced (SMD: −3.258; 95% CI: −4.987 to −1.529). No significant differences were found in most skin cytokines between the groups, although tumor necrosis factor-α mRNA (SMD: −0.880; 95% CI: −1.623 to −0.136) and interleukin-17A protein levels (SMD: −2.390; 95% CI: −4.522 to −0.258) were both lower in the exosome group. Meta-regression revealed a greater improvement in clinical scores in studies using hUCMSC exosomes compared to other MSC sources (p = 0.030). Conclusions: hUCMSC exosomes have been studied more extensively than other MSC exosomes. MSC exosomes reduce clinical severity and epidermal hyperplasia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Skin Diseases: From Molecular Mechanisms to Novel Therapeutic Approaches)
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11 pages, 4935 KB  
Article
Bullous Congenital Ichthyosiform Erythroderma with Tinea Capitis in Half-Siblings: Rare Phenomenon in Ichthyosis with Co-Existing Trichophyton rubrum Infection and Blocker Displacement Amplification for Mosaic Mutation Detection
by Jipeng Liu, Yujuan Fu, Qihao Zhang, Qi Chen, Yuxiang Yang, Yi Xue and Yunqing Ren
Biomedicines 2025, 13(8), 2015; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13082015 - 19 Aug 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Bullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma (BCIE) is an inherited keratinization disorder caused by pathogenic variants in specific genes. Here, we report a pair of half-siblings with BCIE and tinea capitis due to Trichophyton rubrum (T. rubrum) and then review the [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Bullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma (BCIE) is an inherited keratinization disorder caused by pathogenic variants in specific genes. Here, we report a pair of half-siblings with BCIE and tinea capitis due to Trichophyton rubrum (T. rubrum) and then review the species of ichthyosis previously reported with T. rubrum infection. Methods: We performed dermatological examination, fungal culture, and genetic analysis using whole-exome sequencing (WES) and blocker displacement amplification (BDA)-based Sanger sequencing. Both patients received oral terbinafine once daily and topical bifonazole gel for tinea capitis. Results: The pair of half-siblings had exhibited generalized scaling and hyperkeratosis since birth. Both siblings subsequently developed scalp pustules and hair loss for several months. Genetic analysis identified a pathogenic variant in the keratin 10 (KRT10) gene, confirming BCIE diagnosis. Additionally, fungal culture revealed T. rubrum infection. The patients responded positively to oral terbinafine antifungal treatment. Conclusions: This case highlights the potential susceptibility of patients with BCIE to fungal infections, warranting clinical vigilance. Furthermore, it demonstrates the utility of the BDA-based mutation detection method for diagnosing BCIE, suggesting its promise for advancing personalized diagnosis and management in hereditary skin diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Skin Diseases: From Molecular Mechanisms to Novel Therapeutic Approaches)
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18 pages, 5007 KB  
Article
Integrated Multi-Omics Profiling Reveals That Highly Pyroptotic MDMs Contribute to Psoriasis Progression Through CXCL16
by Liping Jin, Xiaowen Xie, Mi Zhang, Wu Zhu, Guanxiong Zhang and Wangqing Chen
Biomedicines 2025, 13(7), 1763; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13071763 - 18 Jul 2025
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Abstract
Background: Psoriasis, an inflammatory skin disorder, involves pyroptosis—a pro-inflammatory cell death process. However, cell-specific pyroptosis dynamics and immune microenvironment interactions remain unclear. Objective: To investigate cell-type-specific pyroptosis patterns in psoriasis and their immunoregulatory mechanisms. Methods: We integrated 21 transcriptomic datasets (from 2007 to [...] Read more.
Background: Psoriasis, an inflammatory skin disorder, involves pyroptosis—a pro-inflammatory cell death process. However, cell-specific pyroptosis dynamics and immune microenvironment interactions remain unclear. Objective: To investigate cell-type-specific pyroptosis patterns in psoriasis and their immunoregulatory mechanisms. Methods: We integrated 21 transcriptomic datasets (from 2007 to 2020) obtained from the GEO database and two single-cell RNA sequencing datasets to quantify pyroptotic activity using Gene Set Variation Analysis and AUCell algorithms. Immune cell infiltration profiles were evaluated via CIBERSORT, while cell-cell communication networks were analyzed by CellChat. In vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to validate key findings. Results: Our analysis revealed that psoriasis patients exhibited significantly elevated levels of pyroptosis compared to healthy controls, with pyroptotic activity reflecting treatment responses. Notably, monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) in psoriatic lesions displayed markedly heightened pyroptotic activity. In vitro experiments confirmed that MDMs derived from psoriasis patients overexpressed pyroptosis-related molecules (Caspase 1 and Caspase 4) as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL6, IL1β) when compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, these cells showed increased expression of CXCL16, which might potentially activate Th17 cells through CXCR6 signaling, thereby driving skin inflammation. Inhibition of monocyte migration in an imiquimod-induced psoriasiform dermatitis model significantly alleviated skin inflammation and reduced the proportion of M1 macrophages and Th17 cells in lesional skin. Conclusions: This study revealed that MDMs in psoriatic lesions exhibited a hyperactive pyroptotic state, which contributed to disease progression through CXCL16-mediated remodeling of the immune microenvironment. These findings highlight pyroptosis as a potential therapeutic target for psoriasis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Skin Diseases: From Molecular Mechanisms to Novel Therapeutic Approaches)
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