Sulfotanshinone sodium suppresses sebaceous hyperplasia in Syrian hamsters

Abstract

Objective To observe the effect of topical sulfotanshinone sodium (STS) on sebaceous hyperplasia in animal models. Methods The sebaceous gland spots of adult male Syrian hamster flank organ served as the animal model. Sulfotanshinone sodium (0.5％) was applied to sebaceous gland spots in the right flank organ thrice daily, while those in the left were treated with normal saline as control. Parameters were examined before, 10 days, 20 days and 30 days after the beginning of the topical treatment. A vernier caliper was utilized to measure the size of sebaceous gland spots, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining to observe the structure of sebaceous glands, immunohistochemistry to determine the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in sebaceous gland cells, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay to assess the apoptosis of sebaceous gland cells. Results At the baseline, no significant difference was observed in the size of sebaceous gland spots or in the proliferation and apoptosis of sebaceous gland cells between the two sides of flank organ (all P ＞ 0.05), with tightly arranged intact sebaceous glands. Compared with normal saline, sulfotanshinone sodium significantly reduced the size of sebaceous gland spots (P ＜ 0.05). Sebaceous glands were loosely arranged with decreased quantity and volume and obviously atrophic on day 30 in the right flank organ of hamsters. A decrease was observed in the expression of PCNA in sulfotanshinone sodium treated sebaceous gland cells compared with those treated with normal saline (P ＜ 0.01 ), which was more striking on day 10 and 20 (both P ＜ 0.005). Sulfotanshinone sodium also induced an enhancement of apoptosis in sebaceous gland cells (P ＜ 0.01 ), which was more apparent on day 20 (P ＜ 0.005 ), and the degree of apoptosis was higher in the central area than in the peripheral area of sebaceous glands. Conclusion Sulfotanshinone sodium can reduce the size and alter the microstructure of sebaceous gland spots, and inhibit the hyperplasia of sebaceous glands. Key words: Tanshinone; Sebaceous glands; Hyperplasia; Acne vulgaris