Analysis of hand environment factors contributing to the hand surface infection barrier imparted by lactic acid. Issue 6 (16th September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hayashi, Kaori; Mori, Ichiro; Takeda, Kouske; Okada, Yasuhiro; Hayase, Atsuko; Mori, Takuya; Nishioka, Yuki; Manabe, Kenji
• Is Part Of: Skin research and technology. Volume 27:Issue 6(2021)
• Page Start: 1135
• Page End: 1144
• Publication Date: 2021-09-16
• Subjects: antimicrobial activity -- contact infection -- hand surface infection barrier -- lactic acid -- skin pH -- skin temperature; Skin -- Research -- Periodicals; Skin -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Skin -- Physiology -- Periodicals; 616.5
• DOI: 10.1111/srt.13078
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0909-752X

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Organic acids on the surface of human hands contribute to the barrier against transient pathogens. This is the first study to explore the synergistic contribution of lactic acid and other hand environment‐related features on the antibacterial properties of the hand surface. Materials and Methods: We estimated the contribution of fingerprint depth, skin pH, stratum corneum water content, skin temperature, and sweat rate of the hands to the infection barrier using an observational survey of 105 subjects. The relationship between each factor and the antibacterial activity of the hands was analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. We performed molecular dynamics simulations to study the interaction between lactic acid and bacterial membranes. Results: The amount of lactic acid on the hands and skin temperature contributed positively to the antimicrobial activity (r = 0.437 and P = 3.18 × 10 −6, r = 0.500 and P = 5.66 × 10 −8, respectively), while the skin pH contributed negatively (r = −0.471, P = 3.99 × 10 −7 ). The predicted value of the combined antimicrobial effect of these parameters was [antimicrobial activity] = 0.21 × [lactic acid] − 0.25 × [skin pH] + 0.26 × [skin temperature] + 0.98. The coefficient of determination (R 2 ) was 0.50. Conclusion: The increase in the amount of non‐ionic lactic acid due to lower pH and improvement in the fluidity of the cell membrane due to higher temperatures enable the efficient transport of lactic acid into cells and subsequent antimicrobial activity. The proposed mechanism could help to develop an effective hand infection barrier technology.