Retinoic acid effect on sebocytes and the skin

The pathogenesis of acne has been linked to multiple factors such as increased sebum production, inflammation, follicular hyperkeratinization, and the action of Propionibacterium acnes within the follicle. 13-cis Retinoic Acid (13-cis RA, isotretinoin) is the most potent agent in acne treatment. Surprisingly, its mechanism of action in acne is still unknown. Gene expression profiling of cultured human immortalized sebocytes (SEB-1) treated with 13-cis RA was performed to gain insights into its sebocyte-specific mechanism of action. SEB-1 sebocytes were cultured with 0.1 uM 13-cis RA for 72 hours or vehicle control. Gene array expression profiling was conducted using Affymetrix HG-U95Av2 arrays in order to examine changes in gene expression as a result of treatment. A total of 85 genes (78 different genes) were significantly influenced by 13-cis RA: 58 were upregulated and 27 were down-regulated. There were changes in several genes involved in apoptosis and innate immunity. These studies are the first describing the sebocyte- specific response in gene expression associated with isotretinoin therapy and are valuable in identifying potential therapeutic targets in acne.

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Nelson AM, Zhao W, Gilliland KL, Zaenglein AL, Liu W, Thiboutot DM