ABSTRACT
Different carbonic anhydrase (CA) isozymes are highly expressed in the human skin, where they play a multitude of physiological functions. Isozymes CA I and CA II, present in the cytoplasm and the basolateral membranes of the epithelial cells of the suprabasal and basal layers, are probably involved in physiological cell proliferation and adhesion. The same isozymes present in the inner layer of endothelial cells of capillaries and sweat glands are involved in the complex phenomena of macromolecular secretion into luminal structures or bicarbonate and other ion-exchange transport processes. Strong correlations have been demonstrated between CA activity and fenestrations in juxtaepithelial capillaries of several tissues, including psoriatic lesions of the human skin as well as other skin diseases such as tumors. In the last condition, the overexpression of isozyme CA IX has frequently been observed. The recent advent of potent CA IX inhibitors and other sulfonamide CA inhibitors (CAIs) known to interfere with tumor cell growth opens new vistas for novel types of therapies for such skin diseases.
