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Preliminary characterization of the skin microbiota in basal cell carcinoma: An exploratory pilot study in Korean patients
Hye Lim Keum, Woo Jun Sul, Suyeon Kim, In-Young Chung, Ara Koh, Hei Sung Kim
Received November 14, 2025  Accepted December 23, 2025  Published online February 13, 2026  
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71150/jm.2511012    [Epub ahead of print]
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AbstractAbstract PDF

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of skin cancer, with ultraviolet radiation recognized as the primary environmental driver; however, the potential contribution of alterations in the skin microbiota remains incompletely understood, particularly in Asian populations. This exploratory pilot study describes bacterial community patterns in BCC lesions compared with contralateral clinically normal skin in 20 Korean patients. Lesional and contralateral samples were obtained using paired skin swabs and punch biopsies and analyzed by full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing, with targeted quantitative PCR (qPCR) of the roxP antioxidant gene of Cutibacterium acnes. Given the low-biomass nature of skin samples and the exploratory design, analyses focused on descriptive trends rather than confirmatory inference. Across available samples, C. acnes was the dominant taxon, with a trend toward lower relative abundance in BCC lesions, particularly in biopsy-derived datasets. Microbial evenness appeared higher in lesions than controls. Predictive functional profiling suggested reduced representation of vitamin B6 metabolism pathways in lesions, while qPCR analysis of swab samples showed a trend toward lower roxP/16S rRNA ratios in BCC-associated microbiota. These findings should be interpreted cautiously in light of methodological constraints, including sample heterogeneity, lidocaine exposure prior to biopsy, absence of sequencing-based negative controls, and reliance on predictive functional inference. Overall, this pilot study highlights potential differences in skin bacterial community structure between BCC lesions and contralateral skin in a Korean cohort. Larger, methodologically optimized studies incorporating metagenomic and functional validation will be required to determine whether these microbiota shifts contribute to, or result from, BCC-associated changes in the cutaneous environment.

Review
Bacterial Crosstalk via Antimicrobial Peptides on the Human Skin: Therapeutics from a Sustainable Perspective
Seon Mi Lee , Hye Lim Keum , Woo Jun Sul
J. Microbiol. 2023;61(1):1-11.   Published online January 31, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-022-00002-8
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AbstractAbstract PDF
The skin’s epidermis is an essential barrier as the first guard against invading pathogens, and physical protector from external injury. The skin microbiome, which consists of numerous bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea on the epidermis, play a key role in skin homeostasis. Antibiotics are a fast-acting and effective treatment method, however, antibiotic use is a nuisance that can disrupt skin homeostasis by eradicating beneficial bacteria along with the intended pathogens and cause antibioticresistant bacteria spread. Increased numbers of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) derived from humans and bacteria have been reported, and their roles have been well defined. Recently, modulation of the skin microbiome with AMPs rather than artificially synthesized antibiotics has attracted the attention of researchers as many antibiotic-resistant strains make treatment mediation difficult in the context of ecological problems. Herein, we discuss the overall insights into the skin microbiome, including its regulation by different AMPs, as well as their composition and role in health and disease.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  
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    Allergology International.2026; 75(1): 42.     CrossRef
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