Effects of superficial scratching and engineered nanomaterials on skin microbiota in SKH-1 mice. Mouse upper back skin

Study on the effect on nanosized nTiO2, nZnO and nAg and simulated scratching on the skin microbiota of hairless SKH-1 mice. The mice were treated with nanomaterials on intact or scratched skin, and samples were collected 24 h and 7 d later. DNA was extracted from skin swab samples, and the 16S (V1-V3) rRNA gene was sequenced with 2 x 300 bp paired-ends with Illumina MiSeq. Hairless mice were used to simulate human skin more closely. The goal of the study was to examine the effect of nanomaterial exposure on uninjured and scratched skin, as well as the effect of superficial scratching itself on the skin and its microbiota.