Keratinocyte Autophagy in Inflammatory Dermatoses: Mechanisms, Disease‐Specific Programs and Therapeutic Opportunities

ABSTRACT

Autophagy is increasingly recognised as a regulator of epithelial stress adaptation in the skin, but its role in inflammatory dermatoses remains difficult to interpret because autophagy intersects with barrier biology, keratinocyte differentiation, immune signalling, intracellular trafficking and lysosomal degradation. Keratinocytes are immune‐competent epithelial cells that integrate cytokine exposure, oxidative stress, microbial sensing and tissue injury into inflammatory output. In this review, we synthesize evidence on keratinocyte autophagy as a disease‐dependent regulator of epidermal homeostasis and cutaneous inflammation. We summarize core autophagy machinery, selective autophagy programs relevant to epidermal differentiation and the interpretive value of autophagic flux and lysosomal competence. We then discuss how autophagy influences keratinocyte differentiation, organelle clearance, lipid handling, barrier support, inflammatory restraint and stress adaptation. Disease‐specific evidence is reviewed in psoriasis, AP1S3‐associated pustular autoinflammation, atopic dermatitis and vitiligo. Across these settings, keratinocyte autophagy cannot be classified as uniformly protective or pathogenic; its effects depend on inflammatory context, trafficking state, cell‐type‐specific outputs and the ability of lysosomes to complete degradation. We also consider lessons from other barrier epithelia, therapeutic implications and common methodological limitations. A keratinocyte‐centered, flux‐aware interpretation provides a framework for organizing disease‐specific autophagy biology and for designing more rigorous mechanistic studies in inflammatory dermatoses.