Proteomic signatures of inflammatory skin diseases: a focus on atopic dermatitis

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition characterized by cutaneous and systemic inflammation and barrier abnormalities. Over the past few decades, proteomic studies have been increasingly applied to AD research to compliment transcriptomic evaluations. Proteomic analyses helped identify new biomarkers of AD, allowing investigation of both the cutaneous AD profile and the systemic inflammation associated with the disease.

Areas covered: This review discusses key studies that utilized various proteomic technologies to analyze AD skin and/or blood, which facilitated discovery of biomarkers related to pathogenesis, disease severity, systemic inflammation, and therapeutic response. Moreover, this review summarizes proteomic studies that helped define various AD endotypes/phenotypes. A literature search was conducted by querying Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed/Medline, and Clinicaltrials.gov up to January 2021.

Expert opinion: Use of proteomics in AD has allowed for identification of novel AD-related protein biomarkers. This approach continues to evolve and is becoming increasingly common for the study of AD, in conjunction with other -omics platforms, as proteomics shifts to quicker and more sensitive methods for detection of potential protein biomarkers. Although many biomarkers have been identified thus far, future larger studies are necessary to further correlate these markers with clinical parameters.