Agata Sternak

Ms. Agata Sternak


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

2Years (2025-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
15 September 2025 in Cells
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
KAKlara Andrzejczak
Klara Andrzejczak
ASAgata Sternak
Agata Sternak
WWWiktor Witkowski
Wiktor Witkowski
MPMałgorzata Ponikowska
Małgorzata Ponikowska
Chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and hidradenitis suppurativa are systemic conditions marked by persistent immune activation. Growing evidence links them to molecular and vascular ageing, including oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, and reduced expression of longevity-related proteins like Klotho and SIRT1. This narrative review examines how Th17- and Th2-driven inflammation contributes to systemic inflammageing. Key cytokines—IL-17, IL-23, IL-4, IL-13, and IL-31—promote endothelial damage, oxidative stress, and metabolic dysfunction. We highlight the role of vascular biomarkers (e.g., VCAM-1, ICAM-1, ST2, P-selectin) and immune cell senescence as indicators of ageing. Finally, we explore whether biologic therapies targeting these pathways may attenuate inflammation-driven ageing. Chronic skin diseases may thus serve as accessible models of systemic inflammageing and targets for early intervention.

26 March 2026 in Cells
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
KAKlara Andrzejczak
Klara Andrzejczak
EKEmilia Kucharczyk
Emilia Kucharczyk
ASAgata Sternak
Agata Sternak
TBTomasz Busłowicz
Tomasz Busłowicz
MPMałgorzata Ponikowska
Małgorzata Ponikowska
Chronic inflammatory skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis, are systemic immune-mediated disorders driven by dysregulated immune responses. The gut–skin axis is a bidirectional network linking intestinal microorganisms, their metabolites, and host immunity. It connects microbiome composition and function with systemic inflammation and cutaneous pathology, shaping disease-specific mechanisms such as Th2/IL-4/IL-13-mediated barrier dysfunction in AD and Th17/IL-23/IL-17-driven hyperproliferation in psoriasis. Microbiota-derived metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids, tryptophan-derived aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands, and bile acid-dependent FXR/TGR5 signaling, modulate immune homeostasis and epithelial integrity. Gut dysbiosis, impaired metabolite production, and barrier dysfunction disrupt regulatory networks, amplifying inflammation. Microbiota-targeted interventions, including probiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, and precision nutrition, may serve as adjunctive therapies, although further well-controlled clinical studies are needed. Integrating multi-omics, metabolomics, and functional microbial profiling, alongside investigations of the gut mycobiome and virome, will be critical to identify predictive biomarkers and optimize therapeutic strategies. These concepts remain mechanistically compelling but largely theoretical, requiring validation in longitudinal and interventional studies.

3 April 2025 in Quality in Sport
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
NKNatalia Kucharczyk
Natalia Kucharczyk
KAKlara Andrzejczak
Klara Andrzejczak
WWWiktor Witkowski
Wiktor Witkowski
ASAgata Sternak
Agata Sternak
DGDagmara Gaweł-Dąbrowska
Dagmara Gaweł-Dąbrowska
Introduction: Water quality is a critical issue affecting human health, with contamination by pathogens leading to various diseases. Pathogens in water, often transmitted through the fecal-oral route, pose significant risks, causing gastrointestinal diseases and bacterial diarrhea. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set water quality standards for recreational use, and sports events like triathlons and the Olympics may involve waterborne infection risks. Additionally, athletes in water sports face health risks from physical exertion and environmental conditions, including exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, hypothermia, hyperthermia and swimming-induced pulmonary edema. Understanding these risks and implementing preventive measures are crucial for ensuring the safety and health of athletes and participants in water-based sports events. Purpose of the work: The purpose of this study is to review the impact and risks of pathogenic microorganisms found in water on the health and physical performance of athletes. Special attention is given to the organization of water sports competitions in the context of microbiological threats. Materials and methods: A comprehensive analysis of research articles available on PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus was conducted using search terms related to: "water sports", "microbiological hazards", "water pathogens", "water quality", "athletes" and "prevention." Results: Microbiological threats included in water expose participants in major sporting events to potential infection that can cause various health issues. To reduce these risks, water quality standards must be monitored, and actions should be taken when limits are exceeded. Event organizers must prioritize athlete safety, considering factors like weather and water quality, and involve public health authorities in decision-making. If health risks are identified, rescheduling or changing the event location should be considered.

11 March 2026 in Pharmaceutics
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
KAKlara Andrzejczak
Klara Andrzejczak
ASAgata Sternak
Agata Sternak
WWWiktor Witkowski
Wiktor Witkowski
BKBozena Karolewicz
Bozena Karolewicz
MPMałgorzata Ponikowska
Małgorzata Ponikowska
Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease requiring effective long-term systemic treatment. Current options, including using conventional small molecules and biological therapies, are limited by adverse events, suboptimal efficacy, or poor adherence due to inconvenient administration. This highlights an unmet need for safe, convenient, and effective oral self-administered dosage form therapies aligned with patient preferences. This review evaluates the mechanism, safety, and efficacy of next-generation tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitors and compares them to currently available therapeutic options. The pathogenesis of psoriasis is driven by chronic systemic inflammation mediated by the interleukin-23 (IL-23)/Th17/interleukin-17 (IL-17) axis. Selective TYK2 inhibitors, such as deucravacitinib, envudeucitinib, and zasocitinib, act through a unique allosteric mechanism by binding to the regulatory pseudokinase domain (JH2) rather than the enzyme’s catalytic domain. This enables highly selective suppression of IL-23-mediated inflammation while mitigating systemic toxicity seen with nonselective Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. Clinical trials (POETYK PSO-1 and PSO-2) and long-term extension studies demonstrate that deucravacitinib provides superior efficacy compared to the first-generation oral small molecule apremilast, with high and sustained response rates. It maintains durable efficacy for up to four years in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and shows a stable long-term safety profile, with low incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), venous thromboembolism (VTE), serious infections, and malignancies. Selective TYK2 inhibition bridges the therapeutic gap, providing an optimal balance of efficacy and oral convenience. With the potential to improve patient adherence and quality of life, these agents represent a promising option to become a first-line oral systemic therapy for psoriasis.

22 June 2026 in Cells
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
KAKlara Andrzejczak
Klara Andrzejczak
ASAgata Sternak
Agata Sternak
WWWiktor Witkowski
Wiktor Witkowski
AFAleksandra Flak
Aleksandra Flak
JMJoanna Maj
Joanna Maj
MPMałgorzata Ponikowska
Małgorzata Ponikowska
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease characterized by a complex and dynamic interplay between immune dysregulation and epidermal barrier dysfunction. Emerging evidence supports an integrated pathogenic model in which immune activation and barrier impairment form a bidirectional and self-reinforcing axis rather than representing separate processes. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the role of IL-4/IL-13-dependent signaling in regulating keratinocyte lipid metabolism and its impact on epidermal barrier integrity. IL-4/IL-13 signaling via the JAK-STAT pathway, particularly STAT6, contributes to keratinocyte dysfunction, resulting in impaired differentiation and coordinated alterations in lipid metabolism, including fatty acid elongation and ceramide synthesis. These cytokine-driven processes disrupt the organization of the stratum corneum lipid matrix, resulting in increased transepidermal water loss, enhanced skin permeability, and susceptibility to microbial colonization, thereby promoting chronic inflammation. Collectively, these findings support the concept that IL-4/IL-13-mediated dysregulation of keratinocyte lipid metabolism may represent an important immunometabolic mechanism linking type 2 inflammation with secondary barrier dysfunction in atopic dermatitis, thereby contributing to disease persistence. Targeting both immune pathways and epidermal lipid homeostasis may represent an effective strategy to restore barrier function and improve clinical outcomes.

Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
KAKlara Andrzejczak
Klara Andrzejczak
EKEmilia Kucharczyk
Emilia Kucharczyk
ASAgata Sternak
Agata Sternak
KBKarol Bilinski
Karol Bilinski
JMJoanna Maj
Joanna Maj
MPMałgorzata Ponikowska
Małgorzata Ponikowska
Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) is a rare, severe, and potentially life-threatening inflammatory dermatosis increasingly recognized as a distinct disease entity rather than a variant of plaque psoriasis. Emerging evidence indicates that GPP is primarily driven by dysregulation of the interleukin-36 (IL-36) signaling axis, leading to amplification of proinflammatory cascades in keratinocytes and a predominantly innate, neutrophil-driven immune response. This promotes rapid neutrophil recruitment, sterile pustule formation, and abrupt cutaneous and systemic inflammation. Consistent with this, GPP demonstrates a greater predominance of innate immune and neutrophil-driven inflammation, whereas plaque psoriasis is more strongly associated with IL-23/Th17-mediated adaptive immune responses. Transcriptomic and genetic studies further support this distinction, demonstrating enrichment of IL-36-associated and neutrophil-related signatures, activation of MyD88-dependent pathways, and mutations in genes regulating the IL-36 axis, including IL36RN, AP1S3, and CARD14. Consequently, conventional systemic therapies and biologics targeting TNF-α, IL-17, and IL-23 pathways show variable efficacy and may act more slowly in GPP. In contrast, IL-36 receptor inhibitors represent a more mechanism-aligned approach and have demonstrated rapid and clinically meaningful responses in acute flares. However, important gaps remain, including the lack of validated biomarkers and limited data on long-term treatment outcomes. This review provides an integrated perspective on IL-36-driven inflammation in GPP, including comparison with plaque psoriasis, and outlines its implications for mechanism-based therapeutic approaches.