Role of the Mechanosensitive Protein Piezo1 in Age-Dependent Changes in the Number of Fibroblasts and Blood Vessels in Human Skin

The goal of the work is to study the content of the mechanosensitive protein Piezo1 in fibroblasts and blood vessels of the human dermis from embryonic development to very old age (from 20 weeks of pregnancy to 85 years) and to define the value of Piezo1 for age-related changes in the number of fibroblasts and blood vessels in the human dermis. Piezo1, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and CD31, a marker of endothelial cells, were detected in skin sections by an indirect immunohistochemical technique. The results showed that the proportion of fibroblasts with positive staining for Piezo1 in human dermis decreases systematically from 20 weeks of pregnancy to 40 years old. From the age of 41, there is a sharp increase in the proportion of dermal fibroblasts with positive staining for Piezo1, with the maximum in the age group of 61–85 years. The Piezo1 content in the blood vessels of the human dermis decreases from 20 weeks of pregnancy to 40 years. A significant increase in the Piezo1 content in the blood vessels of the human dermis is then observed in the age group of 41–85 years. The age-related changes in the Piezo1 content in fibroblasts and blood vessels of the dermis are not associated with the age-related decrease in the total number and proportion of PCNA-positive fibroblasts or the number of blood vessels in the dermis.