Molecular Interactions of Different Steroids Contributing to Sebum Production. Review

Considerable progress has been made in learning about the physiology and biochemistry of the sebaceous glands and several of the diseases that affect this component of the skin. Of these diseases, acne has particular importance. It is associated with adolescence, and because of the hormonal changes that take place in this stage, when it is severe it can cause depression. Moreover, in a considerable proportion of acne sufferers both adolescent and adult, it can produce tumors and deformation of the sebaceous glands. This seriously affects the sufferers to the point where it may limit their professional activities because they do not want to be seen in public. Several important issues from classic studies on the sebaceous gland will be reviewed in this document to report the state of the art of current treatments for the pathology of these glands. The sebaceous gland is an intracrine organ, capable of synthesizing and metabolizing different steroidal hormones. The role of each of the enzymes involved in these processes of the skin will be analyzed. The presence of different hormone receptors in the scientific literature will be also reviewed, due to the role of the sebaceous gland in lipogenesis at different ages. We also describe the mechanism of action of androgens and progestins in relation to coregulators recruited for lipogenesis in this gland. We propose several new steroidal compounds based on their mechanism of action to block lipogenesis in the sebaceous glands. These molecules offer potential for new treatment options for skin diseases. Keywords: Sebaceous glands, Flank glands, Steroidogenesis, Androgens, Estrogens, Progestogens, Antiandrogens, Antiprogestogens, Levonorgestrel, Pregnane derivatives.