OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this 1-week, randomized, split-body, single-blinded, placebo-controlled trial was to assess the impact of BSE on keratin expression.
METHODS: Five subjects (34-71 years old) applied BSE (500 nmol of sulforaphane/mL) or vehicle alone to the inner aspect of the arm daily. Expression of keratin, nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2, and other markers was assessed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and indirect immunofluorescence.
RESULTS: One subject (age 71 years) was excluded a posteriori because of poor tissue quality. Topical BSE activated nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 and up-regulated K17 in the epidermis of all subjects, had variable effects on K16 and K6 expression, and did not alter expression of K14 or K5.
CONCLUSIONS: Small sample size is a limitation.
CONCLUSIONS: BSE represents an attractive therapeutic candidate for K14-associated epidermolysis bullosa simplex.