Background: Central or peripheral stress may induce the development of clinical inflammation in the pilosebaceous unit (PSU) leading to the development or to exacerbation of preexisting acne. The presence of a complete corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) system has been confirmed in human sebocytes in vitro. CRH is capable to induce lipid synthesis, steroidogenesis and interact with testosterone and growth hormone. alpha-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) and its receptors can regulate melanogenesis as well as affect inflammation, apoptosis and sebogenesis.

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to investigate by immunohistochemistry if changes of CRH/CRH-binding protein (CRHBP)/CRH receptors (CRHR) as well as melanocortin-1 receptor (MC-1R) expression are detectable in acne lesions vs. normal skin, especially in the sebaceous gland (SG).

Results: Very strong expression of CRH was observed in acne-involved skin in SG cells comparing with weaker expression in non-involved and normal skin SG. The strongest reaction for CRHBP in acne-involved SG was in differentiating sebocytes. CRHR-1 and -2 exhibited the strongest expression in sweat glands and SG, respectively. Sebocytes and cells of the ductus seboglandularis (DSG) of acne-involved and non-involved skin showed very intense MC-1R expression in contrast to less intense scattered immunoreactivity in normal skin samples.

Methods: 33 patients with acne vulgaris and 8 age-matched volunteers without acne participated in the study. Skin biopsies were taken from acne-involved face, the non-involved thigh skin of the same patients and from normal human skin.

Conclusions: These data suggest that NP, such as the complete CRH system and MC-1R, are involved in the pathogenesis of acne.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2835910PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/derm.1.3.8496DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

normal skin
12
pathogenesis acne
8
acne vulgaris
8
crh system
8
mc-1r expression
8
skin
7
acne
6
expression
5
role neuropeptides
4
neuropeptides multifactorial
4

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!