Biochemical changes in the skin in kwashiorkor

Abstract

The total nitrogen, dermal nitrogen, and collagen nitrogen content of the skin and the amino acid pattern of the dermis were determined in the skin obtained from 10 normal children and in 19 children suffering from kwashiorkor, 7 of whom had characteristic cutaneous lesions. The skin of children with kwashiorkor had lower levels of total nitrogen, dermal nitrogen, and collagen nitrogen compared with normal children, and the reduction in all these components was of a greater magnitude in children who had cutaneous lesions. There was a significant reduction in the hydroxyproline content of the dermis in all children and a rise in the arginine and ammonia content. In the dermis of children with cutaneous lesions, hydroxyproline, tyrosine, proline, and glycine levels were lowered. These findings provide a biochemical explanation for the occurrence of cutaneous lesions in kwashiorkor.