Elucidation of sweat transport mechanisms in human by visualization of sweat itself in sweat gland

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K17771
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 53050:Dermatology-related
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Nakashima Kie 大阪大学, 薬学研究科, 特任助教(常勤) (60768670)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 発汗 / 汗腺 / ライブイメージング / ヒト

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Sweating is a human-specific body temperature cooling mechanism. To clarify the sweat transport mechanism in sweat glands, which are the organs of sweating, I investigated a visualization method of sweat itself in sweat glands by combining a live observation method and a visualization method of sweat itself.
In the first year, I attempted to establish an indirect labeling method to detect the movement of sweat by inserting beads inside the ducts of sweat glands for the purpose of indirect visualization of sweat.　In the second year, I continued experiments on the observation of sweat dynamics using beads in order to resolve issues such as the amount of beads to be inserted and the insertion site.In the third year, I examined how acetylcholine stimulation propagates through sweat gland tissue and causes contraction of myoepithelial cells as the movement of the entire duct by ex vivo calcium imaging.

Free Research Field

発汗学、細胞生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

発汗障害は、ストレス社会、空調設備の進歩、高齢化などさまざまな要因から年々増加傾向にある。汗をかきすぎる多汗症や汗をかけない無汗症どちらへの障害もストレスを引き起こす。無汗症はさらに熱中症など命に関わる危険性がある。発汗障害の治療法は汗腺そのものにアプローチしたものがなく、周囲の神経または皮膚表面の汗腺の出口にアプローチしたものがほとんどだった。本研究は汗腺そのものの動きに着目しているため、学術的にも社会的にも革新的なアプローチである。さらに、発汗メカニズムの解明は先述した疾患の治療法や予防策への貢献が期待できる。