Academic Journal
From acidification to multi-targeted cellular modulation: dual impact of hydroxy acids on the skin microbiota and the epidermal barrier.
| Τίτλος: | From acidification to multi-targeted cellular modulation: dual impact of hydroxy acids on the skin microbiota and the epidermal barrier. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Szewczyński J; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Kalisz, Kalisz, Poland., Mazur M; WSB University in Poznan, Poznan, Poland., Tomczak H; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Kalisz, Kalisz, Poland. |
| Πηγή: | Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology [Front Cell Infect Microbiol] 2026 Sep 11; Vol. 16, pp. 1918758. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Sep 11 (Print Publication: 2026). |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Review |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Frontiers Media SA Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101585359 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2235-2988 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 22352988 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Front Cell Infect Microbiol Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Lausanne : Frontiers Media SA |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Skin Microbiome*/drug effects , Epidermis*/drug effects , Epidermis*/microbiology , Skin*/microbiology , Skin*/drug effects, Biofilms/drug effects ; Salicylic Acid/pharmacology ; Glycolates/pharmacology ; Bacteria/drug effects ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Animals |
| Περίληψη: | Maintaining proper skin surface acidity is essential for both epidermal barrier integrity and microbial homeostasis. This review examines the dual impact of hydroxy acids on the host-microbiota interface, focusing on their antimicrobial mechanisms, inflammatory modulation, and barrier remodeling. Traditional agents, such as glycolic and salicylic acids, induce exfoliation through desmosomal disruption and exert bactericidal effects via intracellular acidification. Salicylic acid specifically penetrates pilosebaceous units to suppress sebocyte lipogenesis, attenuate pro-inflammatory cascades, and downregulate bacterial virulence factors. However, aggressive exfoliation can compromise the epidermal barrier, which increases the risk of secondary dysbiosis. In contrast, next-generation polyhydroxy acids (such as lactobionic acid) reinforce structural cohesion and inhibit matrix metalloproteinases. These newer agents also, as demonstrated by in vitro models, can disrupt the bacterial cell envelope, destabilize biofilms, and are hypothesized to potentially interact with microbial DNA without causing severe irritation. Future therapeutic approaches need to balance clinical macroscopic endpoints with the preservation of microbiome diversity to avoid chronic microenvironment impairment. Our findings demonstrate how acid-induced pH reduction directly modulates bacterial virulence factors and suggests a potential to modulate microbial environments. (Copyright © 2026 Szewczyński, Mazur and Tomczak.) |
| Competing Interests: | The author(s) declared that this work was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Cutibacterium acnes; Staphylococcus epidermidis; biofilms; dysbiosis; glycolic acid; lactobionic acid; salicylic acid; skin microbiome |
| Substance Nomenclature: | O414PZ4LPZ (Salicylic Acid) 0 (Glycolates) 0WT12SX38S (glycolic acid) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260926 Date Completed: 20260926 Latest Revision: 20260928 |
| Update Code: | 20260928 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13613199 |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fcimb.2026.1918758 |
| PMID: | 42798825 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 2235-2988 |
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| DOI: | 10.3389/fcimb.2026.1918758 |