Soil bacteria, nitrite and the skin
Soil bacteria, nitrite and the skin
Little is known about the composition of the skin microbiome and its potential significance for health and disease in the context of the ‘hygiene hypothesis’. We here propose that mammals evolved with a dermal microflora that contributed to the regulation of body physiology by providing nitrite from commensal ammonia-oxidising bacteria in response to ammonia released during sweating. We further hypothesise that modern skin hygiene practices have led to a gradual loss of these bacteria from our skin. Together with other lifestyle-related changes associated with an insufficient bodily supply with nitrite and depletion of other nitric oxide(NO)-related species, a condition we here define as ‘nitropenia’, this has led to a perturbation of cellular redox signalling which manifests as dysregulated immunity and generalised inflammation. If proven correct, this scenario would provide an additional evolutionary rationale and a mechanistic basis for the simultaneous rises in prevalence of a number of seemingly unrelated chronic illnesses over the last 3–4 decades.
immunology, infectious diseases, medical microbiology, cell biology
978-3-7643-8902-4
103-115
Whitlock, David
c1f9b245-a214-461c-b988-56f1a494c2e5
Feelisch, Martin
8c1b9965-8614-4e85-b2c6-458a2e17eafd
2009
Whitlock, David
c1f9b245-a214-461c-b988-56f1a494c2e5
Feelisch, Martin
8c1b9965-8614-4e85-b2c6-458a2e17eafd
Whitlock, David and Feelisch, Martin
(2009)
Soil bacteria, nitrite and the skin.
In,
Rook, Graham A.W.
(ed.)
The Hygiene Hypothesis and Darwinian Medicine.
Springer, .
(doi:10.1007/978-3-7643-8903-1_6).
Record type:
Book Section
Abstract
Little is known about the composition of the skin microbiome and its potential significance for health and disease in the context of the ‘hygiene hypothesis’. We here propose that mammals evolved with a dermal microflora that contributed to the regulation of body physiology by providing nitrite from commensal ammonia-oxidising bacteria in response to ammonia released during sweating. We further hypothesise that modern skin hygiene practices have led to a gradual loss of these bacteria from our skin. Together with other lifestyle-related changes associated with an insufficient bodily supply with nitrite and depletion of other nitric oxide(NO)-related species, a condition we here define as ‘nitropenia’, this has led to a perturbation of cellular redox signalling which manifests as dysregulated immunity and generalised inflammation. If proven correct, this scenario would provide an additional evolutionary rationale and a mechanistic basis for the simultaneous rises in prevalence of a number of seemingly unrelated chronic illnesses over the last 3–4 decades.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
Published date: 2009
Keywords:
immunology, infectious diseases, medical microbiology, cell biology
Organisations:
Faculty of Medicine
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 355751
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/355751
ISBN: 978-3-7643-8902-4
PURE UUID: cbdc7c51-16ff-45f7-92b2-664be66fd5fc
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 05 Sep 2013 08:49
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:42
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
David Whitlock
Editor:
Graham A.W. Rook
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics