Inflammation-induced alterations in the skin barrier function: implications in atopic dermatitis.

The pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) is very complex, but best characterized by an inflammatory reaction in the skin and a disrupted skin barrier. Until recently, these two factors have been studied as separate entities; however, it has been shown that inflammatory cytokines can regulate filaggrin, a very important component of the skin barrier, as well as proteins involved in the processing and maturation of filaggrin. Therefore, inflammation itself may be able to induce a functional skin barrier dysfunction and thereby aggravate the eczematous reaction in AD.