Microbial perspective on the skin–gut axis and atopic dermatitis

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a relapsing inflammatory skin condition that has become a global health issue with complex etiology and mounting prevalence. The association of AD with skin and gut microbiota has been revealed by virtue of the continuous development of sequencing technology and genomics analysis. Also, the gut–brain–skin axis and its mutual crosstalk mechanisms have been gradually verified. Accordingly, the microbiota–skin–gut axis also plays an important role in allergic skin inflammation. Herein, we reviewed the relationship between the microbiota–skin–gut axis and AD, explored the underlying signaling molecules and potential pathways, and focused on the potential mechanisms of probiotics, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), coagulase-negative staphylococci transplantation, fecal microbiota transplantation, AMPs, and addition of essential fatty acids in alleviating AD, with the aim to provide a new perspective for targeting microbiota in the treatment of allergic skin inflammation.

Keywords

• atopic dermatitis
• microbiome
• genomics
• gut
• skin axis
• immunology