Hyaluronan in the Skin and Its Correlation with Dermatopathology

The skin is an important organ that not only covers the body but also performs various functions, such as temperature regulation, respiration, sensory functions, and immune functions. Therefore, if the functions of the skin are lost, the entire body would be affected and we would be unable to live. Recent studies have shown that hyaluronan is an important factor that maintains skin homeostasis by regulating skin development, proliferation, differentiation, regeneration, and anti-aging. On the other hand, it has been revealed that hyaluronan is also a risk factor that facilitates proliferation and metastasis of malignant skin tumors. Accordingly, it is expected that if the expression of hyaluronan in the skin can be artificially and freely regulated, it should be possible to maintain not only a person’s skin health but also their general health. In this review, I outline the importance of hyaluronan, focusing on the correlation between skin hyaluronan and the pathophysiology of the skin. A. Introduction The skin is an organ that not only covers the body but also performs various functions, such as temperature regulation, respiration, sensory functions, and immune functions. In particular, the immune functions are extremely important functions because they are the first line of protection of the body against the actions of harmful factors present in the external world, such as the onset of infectious diseases due to bacterial or viral invasion of the body, or carcinogenesis due to ultraviolet radiation. If these functions of the skin are lost, harmful factors would easily pass through it, thus significantly affecting the organs in the deeper parts of the body. Therefore, maintaining a normal skin function is very important, not only for a person’s skin health but also for their general health. However, various factors, such as aging and trauma, cause a gradual decline in the skin function. Hyaluronan, which is abundant in the extracellular matrix of the skin, regulates skin development, proliferation, 皮膚のヒアルロン酸 : 各種病態との関連