Kyungmin Lim
Ewha Womans University · Medicine
About the Lab
Professor Kyungmin Lim's research lab focuses on developing alternative models for skin safety and barrier function assessment, particularly in response to the EU's ban on animal testing for cosmetics. The lab investigates the mechanisms of skin barrier disruption and repair using ex vivo skin models, including porcine and reconstructed human epidermis, to evaluate cosmetic ingredients such as hydroxyacids and probiotic lysates. Key research directions include understanding the role of skin proteins, oxidative stress, and cellular signaling pathways (e.g., ERK/AP-1) in photoaging and irritation. The lab also explores the impact of environmental toxicants like mercury on erythrocyte function and thrombosis, linking systemic effects to skin and cardiovascular health.
Research Overview
Research Output Trend
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Selected Papers
15BACKGROUND: Associations between cardiovascular diseases and mercury have been frequently described, but underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: We investigate the procoagulant activation of erythrocytes, an important contributor to thrombosis, by low-level mercury to explore the roles of erythrocytes in mercury-related cardiovascular diseases. METHODS: We used freshly isolated human erythrocytes and ex vivo and in vivo thrombosis models in rats to investigate mercury-induced pr
The main function of the skin is to protect the body from the external environment. The barrier function of the skin is mainly provided by the stratum corneum, which consists of corneocytes bound with the corneodesmosomes and lamellar lipids. Skin barrier proteins like loricrin and filaggrin also contribute to the skin barrier function. In various skin diseases, skin barrier dysfunction is a common symptom, and skin irritants like detergents or surfactants could also perturb skin barrier functio
Exposure of the skin to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation induces photoageing through the up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and subsequent breakdown of extracellular matrices. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation play central roles in UV-induced MMP expression through initiating extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-mediated AP-1 signalling. We aimed to explore the effects of carnosic acid (CA), a phenolic diterpene from rosemary,
Since the European Union (EU) announced their animal testing ban in 2013, all animal experiments related to cosmetics have been prohibited, creating a demand for alternatives to animal experiments for skin studies. Here, we investigated whether an ex vivo live porcine skin model can be employed to study the safety and skin barrier-improving effects of hydroxyacids widely used in cosmetics for keratolytic peels. Glycolic acid (1-10%), salicylic acid (0.2-2%), and lactobionic acid (1.2-12%) were u
The skin epidermis is the outermost epithelial tissue that protects the body from the external environment [...].
skin irritation and corrosion tests as an alternative to animal testing for cosmetics, which has been banned in the European Union since 2013. However, RHE models have several limitations, such as high manufacturing costs, a loose skin barrier, and inability to simulate all cellular and non-cellular components of the human epidermis. Therefore, new alternative skin models are needed. Ex vivo skin models have been suggested as promising tools. Here, we investigated the structural similarities in
Research Areas
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