artiCLe | NeurosCIeNCe |
link bEtwEEn nEurotransmittErs, hormonEs and thE skin
Exploring thE
Claude Dalle provides an introduction to the more common neurotransmitters and hormones, and the effect they can have on the skin and body as a whole
ABSTRACT
CLAUDE DALLE is President of WOSIAM; Scientific Director, World Anti-Ageing Congress; and Editor-in-Chief of PRIME
email: Contact@drclaudedalle. com
The skin is the largest human organ, and its common origin with the brain allows us to gain knowledge from their links. Neurotransmitters, well recognised in brain cells, are also present in melanocytes, keratinocytes, and fibroblasts. The effects are similar, or dependent on one another. Recent studies have further provided some important data. Some of the main neurotransmitters are of particular interest, such as dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and noradrenaline, and from their study it is known that healing, wrinkling, itch, and vascular effects, for example, are under their control. However, the links of neurotransmitters with hormones can be used in practice to correct or enhance their effects. The skin’s appearance, longevity, and beauty depends on these very small molecules, which have a fast but decisive action.
monoamines. they are sometimes composed of soluble gas and have a very short lifespan. their effectiveness is intense and their role within the body significant. Neurotransmitters are present in the brain, intestines,
N
KEYWORDS acetylcholine, serotonin, noradrenaline, GABA, nitric oxide, melanin, melatonin, DHEA, estradiol
52 ❚ July 2011 |
prime-journal.com
heart, and less so in the skin. We have known the important role of neurotransmitters in the skin for a number of years — for subcutaneous tissue, the dermis and epidermis, for arteries, and for the synapse of a nerve. Indeed, skin texture and appearance depend heavily on neurotransmitters, which seem to be an increasingly easy way to improve skin quality, particularly at the stages of menopause and andropause. The actions to modify the content of the neurotransmitter can be done via an oral or
eurotraNsmitters are ofteN referred to as the ‘soul’s butterflies’, and this comparison is supported by the fact that these molecules are relatively straightforward, synthesising from amino acids or
dermatological route for both short- and long-term effects. By acting on neurotransmitters one also acts on certain hormones, and vice versa. A decrease in oestrogen or dheA (dehydroepiandrosterone), for example, will change acetylcholine (ACh) production and serotonin content. This means that the cell production of collagen is modified — as well as the lifespan of the cell — by serotonin. The extracellular matrix of cells and connective tissue will also change; blood flow through the arteries decreases, and nerve connection and synapse interactions decrease. By changing the tyrosine or dopamine content, levels of melanin and noradrenaline will progressively decrease — all are linked by enzyme reactions. Neurotransmitters can be placed into four categories
of equal importance, many of which come from amino acids (Figure 1 — overleaf): ■ Tyrosine is converted into dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline (tyrosine is the immediate precursor of thyroid hormones), and is a necessity for the production of melanin ■ Arginine gives nitric oxide, a gas essential for the health of the arteries ■ Choline aids in the synthesis of ACh, one of the roles of which is to activate the muscles ■ Tryptophan gives serotonin (and melatonin), and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) comes from glutamate.
Both the brain and skin originate from the ectoderm
(the outer layer of the early embryo), and for this reason similar neurotransmitters evolve throughout. however, while the brain follows a circadian rhythm, particularly for hormone synthesis, the skin is not under the control of any rhythm.
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