Dysbiosis and Enhanced Beta-Defensin Production in Hair Follicles of Patients with Lichen Planopilaris and Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia
Andria Constantinou,
Katarzyna Polak-Witka,
Marios Tomazou,
Anastasis Oulas,
Varvara Kanti,
Rolf Schwarzer,
Johannes Helmuth,
Anke Edelmann,
Ulrike Blume-Peytavi,
George M. Spyrou,
Annika Vogt
Affiliations
Andria Constantinou
Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Clinical Research Center for Hair and Skin Science, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Katarzyna Polak-Witka
Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Clinical Research Center for Hair and Skin Science, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Marios Tomazou
Bioinformatics ERA Chair, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics & The Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, 2371 Nicosia, Cyprus
Anastasis Oulas
Bioinformatics ERA Chair, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics & The Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, 2371 Nicosia, Cyprus
Varvara Kanti
Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Clinical Research Center for Hair and Skin Science, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Rolf Schwarzer
Department Molecular Diagnostics, Labor Berlin Charité Vivantes GmbH, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Johannes Helmuth
Department Molecular Diagnostics, Labor Berlin Charité Vivantes GmbH, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Anke Edelmann
Department Molecular Diagnostics, Labor Berlin Charité Vivantes GmbH, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Ulrike Blume-Peytavi
Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Clinical Research Center for Hair and Skin Science, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
George M. Spyrou
Bioinformatics ERA Chair, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics & The Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, 2371 Nicosia, Cyprus
Annika Vogt
Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Clinical Research Center for Hair and Skin Science, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Despite their distinct clinical manifestation, frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) and lichen planopilaris (LPP) display similar histopathologic features. Aberrant innate immune responses to endogenous or exogenous triggers have been discussed as factors that could drive inflammatory cascades and the collapse of the stem cell niche. In this exploratory study, we investigate the bacterial composition of scalp skin and plucked hair follicles (HF) of patients with FFA, LPP and alopecia areata circumscripta (AAc), as well as healthy individuals, in relation to cellular infiltrates and the expression of defense mediators. The most abundant genus in lesional and non-lesional HFs of LPP and FFA patients was Staphylococcus, while Lawsonella dominated in healthy individuals and in AAc patients. We observed statistically significant differences in the ratio of Firmicutes to Actinobacteria between healthy scalp, lesional, and non-lesional sites of FFA and LPP patients. This marked dysbiosis in FFA and LPP in compartments close to the bulge was associated with increased HβD1 and HβD2 expression along the HFs from lesional sites, while IL-17A was increased in lesional HF from AAc patients. The data encourage further studies on how exogenous factors and molecular interactions across the HF epithelium could contribute to disease onset and propagation.
