Picardo Mauro, Ottaviani Monica, Camera Emanuela, Mastrofrancesco Arianna
San Gallicano Dermatological Institute; IRCCS; Rome, Italy.
Dermatoendocrinol. 2009 Mar;1(2):68-71. doi: 10.4161/derm.1.2.8472.
The principal activity of mature sebaceous glands is producing and secreting sebum, which is a complex mixture of lipids. Sebum composition is different among species and this difference is probably due to the function that sebum has to absolve. In human sebum there are unique lipids, such as squalene and wax esters not found anywhere else in the body nor among the epidermal surface lipids. Moreover, they correspond to major components supplying the skin with protection. However, the ultimate role of human sebum, as well the metabolic pathways regulating its composition and secretion rate, are far from a complete understanding. Increased sebum secretion is considered, among all features, the major one involved in the pathophysiology of acne. Along with increased sebum secretion rate, quali- and quantitative modifications of sebum are likely to occur in this pathology. Understanding the factors and mechanisms that regulate sebum production is needed in order to identify new targets that can be addressed to achieve a selective modulation of lipid biosynthesis as a novel therapeutic strategy to correct lipid disregulations in acne and other disorders of the pilosebaceous unit.
成熟皮脂腺的主要活动是产生和分泌皮脂，皮脂是一种复杂的脂质混合物。不同物种的皮脂成分不同，这种差异可能归因于皮脂所承担的功能。人皮脂中含有独特的脂质，如角鲨烯和蜡酯，在人体其他部位以及表皮表面脂质中均未发现。此外，它们是为皮肤提供保护的主要成分。然而，人类皮脂的最终作用以及调节其成分和分泌率的代谢途径，目前还远未完全明确。在所有特征中，皮脂分泌增加被认为是痤疮病理生理学中涉及的主要因素。在这种病理状态下，除了皮脂分泌率增加外，皮脂的质量和数量也可能发生改变。为了确定新的靶点，以实现对脂质生物合成的选择性调节，作为纠正痤疮和其他毛囊皮脂腺单位疾病中脂质失调的一种新型治疗策略，需要了解调节皮脂生成的因素和机制。
