Life (May 2024)

Microbiome Modulation in Acne Patients and Clinical Correlations

  • Marius-Anton Ionescu,
  • Alin Laurentiu Tatu,
  • Camelia Busila,
  • Elena Roxana Axente,
  • Nelly Badalato,
  • Marc G. J. Feuilloley,
  • Estelle Asquier,
  • José Dario Martínez,
  • Luc Lefeuvre

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/life14060688
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 6
p. 688

Abstract

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Background: The imbalance of skin microbiota in acne can induce changes leading to induction or to aggravation of chronic inflammatory lesions; complex mechanisms are involved. Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) ribotypes RT4 and RT5 express more biofilm and are associated with inflammatory acne lesions. C. acnes RT6 is a non-acne ribotype, beneficial for the skin. Objectives: In an open clinical trial, acne adults were included and assessed clinically at baseline and at month 2 using the Investigator Global Assessment of Acne (IGA) score. A topical emulsion was applied twice daily for 2 months (M2) in each included patient. In the same series of acne patients, skin swab samples were collected from acne patients at baseline and M2 from lesional and non-lesional skin; skin swabs were collected for the metagenomic long-read analysis of microbiota. Materials and Methods: Acne patients with a gravity score IGA of >1Umbelliferae associated with a polysaccharide at 1% was applied twice daily for 2 months. At baseline and M2 clinical assessments were made; skin swab samples were also taken for microbiota analysis from lesional and non-lesional skin in each included patient. Extractions of genomic DNA (gDNA) from swab samples from baseline and from M2 were made, followed by full-length (V1–V9) amplification of the 16S rDNA and sequencing of amplicon libraries for strain-level bacterial community profiling. Results: In a series of 32 adult acne patients, the mean initial IGA scale was 3.1; at M2 the IGA scale was 1.5 (p C. acnes followed by Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis). The density of C. acnes ribotypes RT6 (non-acne strain) was increased at M2 compared to baseline and the density of ribotypes C. acnes RT1 to RT5 was decreased at M2, compared to baseline (p S. epidermidis ribotypes (1 to 36) were non significantly increased at M2, compared to baseline (p Umbelliferae and a polysaccharide at 1% twice daily, a significant clinical improvement in IGA scale for acne lesions was seen at M2, compared to baseline (p C. acnes ribotype 6 and of the decrease in the relative abundance of acne strains ribotypes C. acnes RT1 to RT5.

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