Capacity of Electrophilic Fatty Acids to Accumulate in the Skin
Principal Investigator: Alicia Mathers, Ph.D.
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Grant Mechanism: R01 Bridge Grant
Funding Amount: $100,000
Project Start Date: August 1, 2024
Project End Date: July 31, 2025
Status: Active
Keywords: Psoriasis, Drug Therapy, Inflammation, Diet, Cell Signaling
Project Summary:
Fatty acids in the skin play a pivotal role in maintaining skin integrity. Moreover, fatty acids that have been nitrated (NO2-FAs) exhibit potent anti-inflammatory properties as a natural mechanism to safeguard the skin. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is an essential fatty acid only obtained through dietary supplementation. Importantly, CLA in the skin can lead to the formation of NO2-CLA following UVB phototherapy. Thus, we hypothesize that forming NO2-CLA in the skin by dietary supplementation of CLA along with phototherapy will be an easy-to-adopt therapeutic for psoriasis. Herein, we will address critiques from our NIH proposal concerning the applicability of a proposed humanized mouse model used to test therapies.