Decreased ATP synthesis and lower pH may lead to abnormal muscle contraction and skin sensitivity in human skin

• Transcriptome profiling of sensitive skin identified an unexpected gene expression signature.
• Sensitive skin is related to abnormal muscle contraction and metabolic homeostasis.
• Decreased synthesis of ATP and enhanced proton lead to skin sensitivity.

SummaryBackgroundSensitive skin represents hyperactive sensory symptoms showing exaggerated reactions in response to internal stimulants or external irritants. Although sensitive skin is a very common condition affecting an estimated 50% of the population, its pathophysiology remains largely elusive, particularly with regard to its metabolic aspects.ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to investigate the pathogenesis of sensitive skin.MethodsWe recruited healthy participants with ‘sensitive’ or ‘non-sensitive’ skin based on standardized questionnaires and 10% lactic acid stinging test, and obtained skin samples for microarray analysis and subsequent experiments.ResultsMicroarray transcriptome profiling revealed that genes involved in muscle contraction, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and ion transport and balance were significantly decreased in sensitive skin. These altered genes could account for the abnormal muscle contraction, decreased ATP amount in sensitive skin. In addition, pain-related transcripts such as TRPV1, ASIC3 and CGRP were significantly up-regulated in sensitive skin, compared with non-sensitive skin.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that sensitive skin is closely associated with the dysfunction of muscle contraction and metabolic homeostasis.