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Neuroendocrine regulation of the sebaceous gland
Author(s) -
Zouboulis Ch. C.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
experimental dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.108
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1600-0625
pISSN - 0906-6705
DOI - 10.1111/j.0906-6705.2004.00212k.x
Subject(s) - medicine , endocrinology , sebaceous gland , neuropeptide , paracrine signalling , vasoactive intestinal peptide , hypothalamus , corticotropin releasing hormone , biology , receptor , autocrine signalling , hormone , chemistry
The sebaceous gland is the organ conferring upon the skin an endocrine function. It also seems to be involved in responses to stress expressing receptors for neuropeptides such as corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH), α‐melanocyte‐stimulating hormone (α‐MSH), β‐endorphin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, neuropeptide Y, and calcitonin gene‐related peptide. CRH is the most proximal element of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis, and it acts as central coordinator for neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to stress. The CRH/CRH‐binding protein/CRH receptor loop is expressed in human sebocytes in vivo and in vitro and is regulated and biologically active in cultured sebocytes. CRH may be an autocrine sebocyte factor that exerts homeostatic lipogenic activity by controlling the expression of Δ 5 ‐3β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, whereas testosterone and growth hormone induce CRH negative feedback. α‐MSH and calcitonin gene‐related peptide are not produced by human sebocytes and downregulate the enhanced IL‐8 synthesis in IL‐1β‐challenged cells, therefore exhibiting an anti‐inflammatory effect. β‐endorphin is also a paracrine neuropeptide for human sebocytes which suppresses their proliferation induced by epidermal growth factor in Ca 2+ ‐rich medium. Moreover, substance P‐immune reactive nerves are localized near the sebaceous glands and can stimulate undifferentiated sebocytes of the outmost sebaceous gland layer to express neutral endopeptidase, a substance P‐inactivatimg molecule. In addition, substance P stimulates lipid synthesis in human sebocytes. In conclusion, sebaceous glands may be involved in a hypothalamus‐pituitary‐skin pathway conceptually similar to that of the HPA axis. The current data implicate neuropeptides to possibly play a strategic role in the regulation of sebaceous gland activity in close coordination with other hormones making likely that they are involved in the development of various skin diseases.