How do lipids affect dandruff?

Pityriasis capitis, also referred to as dandruff, is a disorder that causes the scalp to develop microscopic, white-skin scale flakes that fall off. The affected individuals experience issues with their social or self-esteem as a result of this disorder. In regions where sebum production is abundant, symptoms like itching, reddening, and flaking might occur. Red lesions with oily scales cover them. Indicating the connection between Malassezia infection and dandruff, there are higher risks of hair loss on scalps with dandruff than on scalps without dandruff.

Over 50% of the population of adults suffer from dandruff, which accounts for 25% of all scalp conditions. According to a survey, around $300 million is spent each year on various treatment options for the approximately 50 million people who experience dandruff infections. So, in this blog let us discuss the effects of lipids on dandruff. Let us begin.

What are Lipids?

Lipids are a crucial component of our diet. A class of substances called lipids includes fats, oils, steroids, and waxes that are present in living things. Lipids are present in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes and have a variety of vital biological functions, including membrane production, defense, insulation, energy storage, and cell division. Lipids in medicine are blood fats.

Since they are crucial to many body processes, lipids are essential to life. For instance, they serve as messengers in the signal transmission process between various body parts and serve as structural elements of cell membranes (steroid hormones). Lipids have three main purposes: energy storage, insulation, and cushioning of the internal organs.

Role of Lipids in Dandruff

Sebum is abundant on the highly androgen-sensitive human scalp. Puberty marks the beginning of sebum synthesis, which serves as the biocenosis optimal nutrient. However, it was discovered that the rate of sebum secretion was the same in subjects with and without dandruff. Numerous participants with oily scalps did not exhibit dandruff as much. This demonstrates unequivocally that lipids are not the major cause but may aid it to some extent. 

Many experts assume that host susceptibility factors play a significant part in the development of dandruff. It is already known that skin surface lipids have an impact on M. orbiculare and M. furfur’s transitory forms. Another well-known fact about dandruff is that it affects adolescents and adults more than it does the elderly. 

Evidence from in vitro experiments suggests that Malassezia is induced to generate hyphae by cholesterol and cholesterol esters. However, there doesn’t appear to be a substantial difference in the quantitative or qualitative skin lipid differences between pityriasis-infected and non-infected people.

Numerous writers have proposed that parameters related to hosting sensitivity rather than microbial lipase activity are more important in explaining dandruff. Although there is enough data to support the idea that different lipids can help Malassezia thrive, there isn’t any direct proof linking the lipid profile, either quantitatively or qualitatively, of infected and uninfected people.  

An in vitro study using Tween 80, a water-soluble ester of low chain (C17) fatty acids that can act as a substrate for both lipase and esterase, reveals that growth inhibition was observed with the addition of esterase inhibitors such as di-isopropyl fluorophosphate or quinine while the lipase inhibitor sodium fluoride rarely affects the growth. 

Studies on the potential of various water-soluble triglycerides to encourage growth, such as glycerol esters of the long-chain fatty acids triolein (C17) and short-chain tributyrin (C4), revealed that long-chain fatty acids can do so.

The Lipid Test

Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was used to examine the scalp lipid species in a cohort of ten people with dandruff-free (control) and ten volunteers with dandruff to get more understanding of the role of sebum in dandruff biogenesis. The test also measured the levels of lipid peroxidation and the biochemical indicators of oxidative stress. Squalene, a key component of sebum, was substantially more peroxidized in scalps with dandruff, leading to noticeably larger ratios of squalene monohydroperoxide (SQOOH)/squalene. This was discovered when dandruff subjects’ dandruff-affected zones were contrasted with both their non-affected zones and control participants. Malondialdehyde and other indicators showed that dandruff-affected scalps had elevated levels of oxidative stress.

Surprisingly, changes between free and bound fatty acids were minimal and infrequent. By contrasting dandruff-affected and non-dandruff zones from the same participants, certain unique findings particularly squalene peroxidation levels were later verified in a validation cohort of 24 dandruff-affected subjects. 

A hypothesis was proposed that elevated SQOOH could be seen as a potential etiological dandruff factor via its capacity to disrupt scalp barrier function. SQOOH can generate both keratinocyte inflammatory responses and hyperproliferation in vitro. It was also suggested that Malassezia might be a significant factor in squalene peroxidation on the scalp.

Conclusion

Numerous health issues may develop without enough lipids, and immune function instability is inevitable. Fortunately, it’s not difficult to get enough lipids from food, and most westerners consume considerably more lipids than their bodies need.

But not all lipids are made equal. For sustained immune function and inflammation, certain lipids like omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are essential. They are regarded as essential fatty acids because we would swiftly face a range of illnesses without them (EFA)