The effect of aging on mast cell density in human skin: a comparative analysis of photoexposed and photoprotected regions
, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1
Abstract
Background: Mast cells are mononuclear cells originating from bone marrow. They produce various biologically active substances, which allow them to actively participate in immune and inflammatory processes associated with intrinsic and extrinsic skin aging. This research focused on distribution and density of mast cells in healthy skin in different stages of skin aging.
Material and methods: This project included samples of photoexposed and photoprotected skin, obtained from 90 cadavers aged 0–82 years. The samples were classified into five age groups: newborns, young age, middle age, senior age and the oldest age. In order to visualize the mast cells, we have employed several histochemical staining protocols.
Results: The number of mast cells of the photoexposed skin significantly correlated to the individual’s age. The number of mast cells of the photoprotected skin was in general statistically significantly lower in younger compared to older groups; however, the correlation of the mast cell density in photoprotected skin and the age did not reach statistical significance. In middle age, senior age and the oldest age groups, a significantly higher number of mast cells was recorded in the skin of the photoexposed compared to photoprotected region.
Conclusions: The increase in mast cell density correlated with age only in photoexposed skin. Age-related higher accumulation of dermal mast cells in photoexposed skin can be an important factor in the photoaging process, as well as the contributing factor in the occurrence of skin cancer.
Keywords: mast cellsphotoagingphotoexposed skinphotoprotected skin
References
- Abdel Hafez SM. Age related changes in the dermal mast cells and the associated changes in the dermal collagen and cells: A histological and electron microscopy study. Acta Histochem. 2019; 121(5): 619–627.
- Agrawal R, Hu A, Bollag WB. The skin and inflamm-aging. Biology (Basel). 2023; 12(11).
- Arnal-Forné M, Molina-García T, Ortega M, et al. Changes in human skin composition due to intrinsic aging: a histologic and morphometric study. Histochem Cell Biol. 2024; 162(4): 259–271.
- Barth E, Srivastava A, Stojiljkovic M, et al. Conserved aging-related signatures of senescence and inflammation in different tissues and species. Aging (Albany NY). 2019; 11(19): 8556–8572.
- Byrne SN, Limón-Flores AY, Ullrich SE. Mast cell migration from the skin to the draining lymph nodes upon ultraviolet irradiation represents a key step in the induction of immune suppression. J Immunol. 2008; 180(7): 4648–4655.
- Chung JH, Seo JY, Choi HR, et al. Modulation of skin collagen metabolism in aged and photoaged human skin in vivo. J Invest Dermatol. 2001; 117(5): 1218–1224.
- Drabent P, Polivka L, Agopian J, et al. Establishing diagnostic criteria for mastocytosis in skin biopsies. Histopathology. 2022; 80(3): 501–514.
- Dwyer DF, Barrett NA, Austen KF, et al. Immunological Genome Project Consortium. Expression profiling of constitutive mast cells reveals a unique identity within the immune system. Nat Immunol. 2016; 17(7): 878–887.
- Fede C, Petrelli L, Pirri C, et al. Detection of mast cells in human superficial fascia. Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24(14).
- Friedman O. Changes associated with the aging face. Facial Plast Surg Clin North Am. 2005; 13(3): 371–380.
- Gomes AP, Johann JE, Lovato GG, et al. Comparative analysis of the mast cell density in normal oral mucosa, actinic cheilitis and lip squamous cell carcinoma. Braz Dent J. 2008; 19(3): 186–189.
- Grigorev IP, Korzhevskii DE. Modern imaging technologies of mast cells for biology and medicine (review). Sovrem Tekhnologii Med. 2021; 13(4): 93–107.
- Grimbaldeston MA, Finlay-Jones JJ, Hart PH. Mast cells in photodamaged skin: what is their role in skin cancer? Photochem Photobiol Sci. 2006; 5(2): 177–183.
- Grimbaldeston MA, Metz M, Yu M, et al. Effector and potential immunoregulatory roles of mast cells in IgE-associated acquired immune responses. Curr Opin Immunol. 2006; 18(6): 751–760.
- Gunin AG, Kornilova NK, Vasilieva OV, et al. Age-related changes in proliferation, the numbers of mast cells, eosinophils, and cd45-positive cells in human dermis. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2011; 66(4): 385–392.
- Hafez SN, Ali E, Naguib S, et al. The role of mast cells in accelerating our skin aging. JCIMCR. 2021; 2(5).
- Hide M, Yanase Y, Greaves MW. Cutaneous mast cell receptors. Dermatol Clin. 2007; 25(4): 563–75, ix.
- Iddamalgoda A, Le QT, Ito K, et al. Mast cell tryptase and photoaging: possible involvement in the degradation of extra cellular matrix and basement membrane proteins. Arch Dermatol Res. 2008; 300 Suppl 1: S69–S76.
- Janssens AS, Heide R, den Hollander JC, et al. Mast cell distribution in normal adult skin. J Clin Pathol. 2005; 58(3): 285–289.
- Kammeyer A, Luiten RM. Oxidation events and skin aging. Ageing Res Rev. 2015; 21: 16–29.
- Kim MS, Kim YK, Lee DH, et al. Acute exposure of human skin to ultraviolet or infrared radiation or heat stimuli increases mast cell numbers and tryptase expression in human skinin vivo. Br J Dermatol. 2009; 160(2): 393–402.
- Komi DE, Khomtchouk K, Santa Maria PL. A review of the contribution of mast cells in wound healing: involved molecular and cellular mechanisms. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2020; 58(3): 298–312.
- Kovalszki A, Weller PF. Eosinophilia in mast cell disease. Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2014; 34(2): 357–364.
- Lee YIn, Choi S, Roh WS, et al. Cellular senescence and inflammaging in the skin microenvironment. Int J Mol Sci. 2021; 22(8).
- López-Otín C, Blasco MA, Partridge L, et al. The hallmarks of aging. Cell. 2013; 153(6): 1194–1217.
- Ma W, Wlaschek M, Tantcheva-Poór I, et al. Chronological ageing and photoageing of the fibroblasts and the dermal connective tissue. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2001; 26(7): 592–599.
- Metz M, Lammel V, Gibbs BF, et al. Inflammatory murine skin responses to UV-B light are partially dependent on endothelin-1 and mast cells. Am J Pathol. 2006; 169(3): 815–822.
- Mutsaddi S, Kotrashetti VS, Nayak RS, et al. Comparison of histochemical staining techniques for detecting mast cells in oral lesions. Biotech Histochem. 2019; 94(6): 459–468.
- Pilkington SM, Barron MJ, Watson REB, et al. Aged human skin accumulates mast cells with altered functionality that localize to macrophages and vasoactive intestinal peptide-positive nerve fibres. Br J Dermatol. 2019; 180(4): 849–858.
- Pincha N, Hajam EY, Badarinath K, et al. PAI1 mediates fibroblast-mast cell interactions in skin fibrosis. J Clin Invest. 2018; 128(5): 1807–1819.
- Puxeddu I, Piliponsky AM, Bachelet I, et al. Mast cells in allergy and beyond. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2003; 35(12): 1601–1607.
- Sadek A, Khramtsova Y, Yushkov BG. Mast cells as biomarkers of inflamm-ageing. Russian Journal of Immunology. 2022; 25(3): 299–304.
- da Silva EZ, Jamur MC, Oliver C. Mast cell function: a new vision of an old cell. J Histochem Cytochem. 2014; 62(10): 698–738.
- Singh A, Sreedhar G, George J. Incidence of mast cells in gingival and periapical inflammation — a kaleidoscopic study. J Clin Diagn Res. 2016; 10(5): ZC06–ZC08.
- Sridharan G, Shankar AA. Toluidine blue: A review of its chemistry and clinical utility. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2012; 16(2): 251–255.
- Sumpter TL, Balmert SC, Kaplan DH. Cutaneous immune responses mediated by dendritic cells and mast cells. JCI Insight. 2019; 4(1).
- Walsh LJ, Zhao ZZ, Savage NW, et al. Mast cells and oral inflammation. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med. 2003; 14(3): 188–198.
- Wernersson S, Pejler G. Mast cell secretory granules: armed for battle. Nat Rev Immunol. 2014; 14(7): 478–494.
- Wilgus TA, Ud-Din S, Bayat A. A review of the evidence for and against a role for mast cells in cutaneous scarring and fibrosis. Int J Mol Sci. 2020; 21(24).
- Yang-lin H, Wei G, Hong-ying Li, et al. The role of the mast cell in skin aging. J Dermatol Res Ther. 2016; 2(5).
