AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 250, Issue 4 691-R698, Copyright © 1986 by American Physiological Society
Proteolytic enzymes in human eccrine sweat: a screening study
N. Horie, H. Yokozeki and K. Sato
Thermally induced human eccrine sweat was collected both by simple scraping
(SS) and by a polyethylene sweat collector that covered the Vaseline-coated
skin of the back to minimize epidermal contamination (CS, clean sweat).
Using synthetic chromogenic Kabi S-series substrates, we demonstrated a
variety of proteases in both SS and CS, the former being higher than the
latter to varying extents. The higher enzyme activity in SS is mainly due
to epidermal contamination because abundant protease activity was eluted
from the nonperspiring stripped and unstripped skin in vivo and from the
stripped stratum corneum itself. The electrophoretic separation of sweat
protein has shown that CS contains at least 7 and SS 15 gelatinolytic
proteinases. Although some CS proteinases could be derived from the sweat
duct, the sweat secretory coil itself is responsible for at least two
proteinases at 78 and 25 kilodaltons. The identity and function of these
enzymes remain to be studied.
