Background: Tranexamic acid (TA) is a traditional plasmin inhibitor, and its role in the renovation of damaged skin has become the topic of a lot of research. The aim of this study is to determine whether TA could repair the skin barrier by means of tight intercellular junctions.
Methods: Two kinds of damaged skin models were set up and subjected to repeated application of sodium lauryl sulfate and irradiation of ultraviolet B. Through bioengineering technology and immunohistochemistry tests, TA-induced changes in skin were detected.
Results: After 1, 3, 7, and 14 days of application, TA can significantly accelerate barrier recovery and decrease the melanin index values of ultraviolet B irritation skin. The mean optic density of occludin from TA treatment is higher than from self-repair.
Conclusion: These experiments suggest that TA can accelerate skin barrier recovery and upregulate occludin induced by physicochemical damages of human skin, but it is advisable to perform more research on the upregulation of occludin in molecular mechanism in the future.
© 2013 The International Society of Dermatology.