Active Acne Vulgaris Research Articles

Analysis of intracellular communication reveals consistent gene changes associated with early-stage acne skin

A comprehensive understanding of the intricate cellular and molecular changes governing the complex interactions between cells within acne lesions is currently lacking. Herein, we analyzed early papules from six subjects with active acne vulgaris, utilizing single-cell and high-resolution spatial RNA sequencing. We observed significant changes in signaling pathways across seven different cell types when comparing lesional skin samples (LSS) to healthy skin samples (HSS). Using CellChat, we constructed an atlas of signaling pathways for the HSS, identifying key signal distributions and cell-specific genes within individual clusters. Further, our comparative analysis revealed changes in 49 signaling pathways across all cell clusters in the LSS— 4 exhibited decreased activity, whereas 45 were upregulated, suggesting that acne significantly alters cellular dynamics. We identified ten molecules, including GRN, IL-13RA1 and SDC1 that were consistently altered in all donors. Subsequently, we focused on the function of GRN and IL-13RA1 in TREM2 macrophages and keratinocytes as these cells participate in inflammation and hyperkeratinization in the early stages of acne development. We evaluated their function in TREM2 macrophages and the HaCaT cell line. We found that GRN increased the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including IL-18, CCL5, and CXCL2 in TREM2 macrophages. Additionally, the activation of IL-13RA1 by IL-13 in HaCaT cells promoted the dysregulation of genes associated with hyperkeratinization, including KRT17, KRT16, and FLG. These findings suggest that modulating the GRN-SORT1 and IL-13-IL-13RA1 signaling pathways could be a promising approach for developing new acne treatments.

Analysis of Intracellular Communication Reveals Consistent Gene Changes Associated with Early-Stage Acne Skin.

A comprehensive understanding of the intricate cellular and molecular changes governing the complex interactions between cells within acne lesions is currently lacking. Herein, we analyzed early papules from six subjects with active acne vulgaris, utilizing single-cell and high-resolution spatial RNA sequencing. We observed significant changes in signaling pathways across seven different cell types when comparing lesional skin samples (LSS) to healthy skin samples (HSS). Using CellChat, we constructed an atlas of signaling pathways for the HSS, identifying key signal distributions and cell-specific genes within individual clusters. Further, our comparative analysis revealed changes in 49 signaling pathways across all cell clusters in the LSS- 4 exhibited decreased activity, whereas 45 were upregulated, suggesting that acne significantly alters cellular dynamics. We identified ten molecules, including GRN, IL-13RA1 and SDC1 that were consistently altered in all donors. Subsequently, we focused on the function of GRN and IL-13RA1 in TREM2 macrophages and keratinocytes as these cells participate in inflammation and hyperkeratinization in the early stages of acne development. We evaluated their function in TREM2 macrophages and the HaCaT cell line. We found that GRN increased the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including IL-18, CCL5, and CXCL2 in TREM2 macrophages. Additionally, the activation of IL-13RA1 by IL-13 in HaCaT cells promoted the dysregulation of genes associated with hyperkeratinization, including KRT17, KRT16, and FLG. These findings suggest that modulating the GRN-SORT1 and IL-13-IL-13RA1 signaling pathways could be a promising approach for developing new acne treatments.

Evaluation of Serum Level of Cathepsin S in Patients with Active Acne Vulgaris

Evaluation of Serum Level of Cathepsin S in Patients with Active Acne Vulgaris

SERUM LEVELS OF VITAMIN D AND INTERLEUKIN – 17A IN ACNE VULGARIS PATIENTS

Background: Vitamin D plays an important role in the human immune system, and its deficiency has been implicated in various skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Acne is a common inflammatory skin disease; however, the association with vitamin D remains unclear. Additionally, the T helper 17 pathway may contribute to the inflammatory response in acne. This study evaluated serum vitamin D and IL-17A levels in acne patients, simultaneously analyzed the relationship between serum vitamin D and IL-17A levels with severity of acne, in order to investigate the possible role of vitamin D and IL-17A in the disease pathogenesis.Objectives: To compare serum IL-17A and vitamin D levels in acne patients with non-affected individuals; to analyze the relationship between serum IL-17A and vitamin D levels with the severity of acne; to discover the relationship between serum IL-17A and vitamin D levels. Method: Analytical cross-sectional study in 35 acne patients and 27 healthy peopleResults: Serum vitamin D levels were significantly lower in acne patients (p = 0.01). Vitamin D deficiency was detected in 42.8% of patients with acne, but in only 11.1% of thehealthy people. The correlation between serum levels of vitamin D and IL-17A with severity of acne were significant (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Vitamin D and IL-17A may have a possible role in active acne vulgaris. Vitamin D supplementation as a treatment option may be considered for further studie

Type I and type II acute-phase proteins in acne vulgaris

Background Acne vulgaris is a common inflammatory skin condition affecting a large section of the population. However, the serum levels of acute phase proteins (APPs) in those patients have not been studied enough. Objective To study the serum levels of different APPs in acne vulgaris patients and to investigate their clinical relevance. Patients and methods Sixty moderate to severe active acne vulgaris patients according to Global Acne Grading system, in addition to forty age, sex and BMI matched acne free control subjects were included. Double-antibody sandwich ELISA kits were used for measuring high sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP), ferritin and hepcidin according to manufacturer’s protocols. Results Serum levels of hs-CRP and hepcidin were significantly higher in patients than control subjects (P=0.01 and 0.02 respectively). The serum level of hsCRP in severe acne vulgaris patients was significantly higher than in moderate disease (P=0.02). Patients with post inflammatory hyperpigmentation showed significantly higher hepcidin level than those without post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (P= Conclusion Serum levels of CRP and hepcidin are elevated in acne vulgaris. hs-CRP correlates with the disease severity. The possible effect of hepcidin on melanocytes activity requires further investigation.

Lesional and circulating levels of interleukin-17 and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol in active acne vulgaris: Correlation to disease severity.

The immunological aspects of inflammatory acne are still incompletely understood, so this study aimed to investigate the possible role of IL-17 and 25 hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D3) in the disease pathogenesis and progression. Across-sectional study has been conducted on 135 patients with active acne vulgaris of various severities and 150 matched controls. ELISA assays of serum and tissue levels of IL-17 and 25(OH)D3, also immunohistochemical and Western blotting demonstration of the expression patterns of lesional IL-17 in comparison with control group, were performed. The mean serum levels of IL-17 were 544.2pg/mL±477.4 SD and 42.2pg/mL±8.1 SD for acne patients and controls, respectively, with significantly higher levels among the patient group (P<0.05). Higher IL-17 expression levels in active acne lesions when compared with its level in healthy skin of the controls. The mean serum levels of 25(OH)D3 among patients and controls were 33.3ng/mL±9.7 SD and 51.7ng/mL±2.7 SD, respectively, with significantly lower levels among the patient group (P<0.05). There were significantly negative correlations between IL-17 and 25(OH)D3 levels (P<0.001 for both). Deficiency of vitamin D3 accompanied with higher IL-17 in an inverse pattern may have a possible role in active acne vulgaris.

Laser treatments of active acne.

The utility of laser therapy is increasingly being recognized in the treatment of active acne vulgaris. We aimed to perform a narrative review of the medical literature on the use of laser therapy for the treatment of active acne vulgaris. We performed a PubMed literature search on September 1, 2016 using the search terms "active acne," "acne," "laser therapy," and "laser surgery." Case reports, case series, cohort, and controlled trials were included. Studies of lasers in the treatment of acne, including erbium glass, Nd:YAG, pulse dye laser (PDL), potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser, and laser-based photodynamic therapy, have been published. While treatment of active acne with lasers has been successful, many studies are limited by small patient number and lack of control populations and comparison to standard therapies for active acne. Laser therapies are increasingly becoming part of or an adjunct to the medical treatment of active acne and are a useful treatment modality.

Efficacy and safety of superficial chemical peeling in treatment of active acne vulgaris.

Acne vulgaris is an extremely common condition affecting the pilosebaceous unit of the skin and characterized by presence of comedones, papules, pustules, nodules, cysts, which might result in permanent scars. Acne vulgaris commonly involve adolescents and young age groups. Active acne vulgaris is usually associated with several complications like hyper or hypopigmentation, scar formation and skin disfigurement. Previous studies have targeted the efficiency and safety of local and systemic agents in the treatment of active acne vulgaris. Superficial chemical peeling is a skin-wounding procedure which might cause some potentially undesirable adverse events. This study was conducted to review the efficacy and safety of superficial chemical peeling in the treatment of active acne vulgaris. It is a structured review of an earlier seven articles meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The clinical assessments were based on pretreatment and post-treatment comparisons and the role of superficial chemical peeling in reduction of papules, pustules and comedones in active acne vulgaris. This study showed that almost all patients tolerated well the chemical peeling procedures despite a mild discomfort, burning, irritation and erythema have been reported; also the incidence of major adverse events was very low and easily manageable. In conclusion, chemical peeling with glycolic acid is a well-tolerated and safe treatment modality in active acne vulgaris while salicylic acid peels is a more convenient for treatment of darker skin patients and it showed significant and earlier improvement than glycolic acid

Survivin as a Novel Biomarker in the Pathogenesis of Acne Vulgaris and Its Correlation to Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I.

Survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family, has an important role in cell cycle regulation. Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is a polypeptide hormone with wide range of biologic effects including stimulation of lipogenesis in sebaceous glands. Their overexpression in some fibrotic disorders suggests a possible implication of both IGF-I and survivin in the pathogenesis of acne and/or acne scars. The current study aimed to assess and correlate serum levels of IGF-I and survivin in patients with active acne vulgaris and postinflammatory acne scars and to evaluate their lesional expressions in comparison to healthy controls. Serum IGF-I and survivin were estimated using commercially available ELISA kits and their tissues expressions were investigated using Western blotting. Our findings suggest that IGF-I and survivin could play potential roles in the pathogenesis of active acne vulgaris and more importantly in postinflammatory acne scars with significant positive correlation coefficient between serum levels of IGF-I and survivin which support IGF-I-/PI3K-/AKT-mediated downregulation of nuclear expression of FoxO transcription factors resulting in enhanced survivin expression.

Treatment of Active Acne Vulgaris by Chemical Peeling Using 88% Lactic Acid

Introduction: The etiopathogenesis of acne vulgaris is multifactorial, and its therapy is prolonged course that might be not accepted by many patients. Most recently TCA 35% one session peeling gave complete clearance and full remission for active acne vulgaris. Lactic acid has been used effectively as therapeutic topical agents for many skin diseases. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of chemical peeling using 88% lactic acid solution in the treatment of active acne vulgaris. Material and Methods: This clinical, interventional, therapeutic study was done at the Department of Dermatology, Baghdad Teaching Hospital, during the period from October 2012 to October 2013. Twenty five patients with active acne vulgaris were included, 15 (60%) females and 10 (40%) males and their ages ranged from 16-36 (21.5000± 5.46279) years. Fifteen patients were associated with acne scars. Three chemical peels using 88% lactic acid solution was carried out two weeks apart for patients with active acne vulgaris with or without scarring. Scoring for active acne vulgaris and acne scar was done for each case before and after operation to evaluate the severity of acne and the degree of scar before and after treatment. All patients were with Fitzpatrick’s skin types III and IV. Patients were followed up every two weeks during period of therapy and monthly for 3 months after stopping the treatment. Results: Twenty five patients with active acne vulgaris were treated with 3 sessions of lactic acid, fifteen patients had associated acne scar. Scoring for active acne vulgaris including papules and pustules showed highly statistically significant reduction after 2 weeks of therapy (p=0.0001), after 4 weeks (p=0.0001)and after 6 weeks (p=0.0001), with percent reduction 87.2% for papules and 94% for pustules after end of sessions while after 3 months follow up the reduction rate for papules 93.8% and p-value (p=0.001) and for pustules 97.6% and (p=0.0001). While the scarring reduction was moderate in 3 (20%) patients, marked in 3 (20%) patients and excellent in 9 (60%) patients with statistically significant reduction (p=0.002). All patients had full satisfaction about the results of peeling. Post inflammatory hyperpigmentation was observed few weeks after peeling but follow up for 3 months showed complete clearance of pigmentation with lightening and tightening of skin. Conclusions: Chemical peeling using 88% lactic acid is an effective mode of therapy for active acne vulgaris and acne scar in patient with dark complexion.

G49 Acne fulminans induced by oral isotretinoin

A 13 year-old male presented with a one year history of acne vulgaris, unresponsive to six months of lymecycline, with comedones, pustules and a few small scarring cysts of his...

Treatment of Active Acne Vulgaris by Chemical Peeling Using TCA 35%

Background: The pathogenesis of acne vulgaris is multifactorial, and therapy can be directed at many of these factors, singly or in combination. There are different modalities of treatment of active acne vulgaris but they are often long lasting which could not be accepted by many patients. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness, long term efficacy and safety of chemical peeling using 35% TCA solution in the treatment of active acne vulgaris. Patients and Methods:This clinical, interventional, therapeutic study was done at the Department of Dermatology—Baghdad Teaching Hospital during the period from January 2012 to March 2013. Eighteen patients with active acne vulgaris were included in this study, 10 (55.6%) females and 8 (44.4%) males. Their ages ranged from 15 to 35 (21.56 ± 5.501) years. Twelve patients were associated with acne scars. History and dermatological examination were performed for all patients regarding all demographic points related to the disease. Chemical peeling with 35% TCA used one session regarding active acne vulgaris and three sessions in patients with associated scarring. Scoring for active acne vulgaris and acne scar was done for each case before and after peeling to evaluate the severity of acne lesions and scarring. All patients were with Fitzpatrick’s skin types III and IV. Patients were followed up every two weeks for 12 weeks after starting therapy and every 4 weeks for 12 weeks after stopping the treatment to watch improvement, side effects and relapse. Results: Scoring for active acne vulgaris including papules and pustules showed highly statistically significant reduction after 2 weeks of therapy (p Conclusions: Chemical peeling by TCA 35% is a cost-effective mode of therapy for active acne vulgaris and acne scar with low down time in patients with dark complexion.

Gallium-67-citrate uptake in a case of acne vulgaris.

A case of increased Ga-67 uptake in a patient with active acne vulgaris is reported. The scan was requested in a search for metastatic testicular carcinoma or bleomycin pulmonary toxicity. Careful clinical evaluation including physical examination was necessary in order to avoid an erroneous scan interpretation.

Study of elastolytic activity Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermis in acne vulgaris and in normal skin

Histopathological sections of anetoderma-like scars from 10 patients with acne vulgaris showed a selective absence of elastic fibers around pilosebaceous follicles. This finding is similar to the histologic changes of "perifollicular elastolysis" reported by Varadi. Bacteria isolated by anaerobic and aerobic cultures of swabs of the skin surface and pus of these 10 patients, 12 others with active acne vulgaris and 8 normal subjects were studied with particular attention to Staphylococcus epidermis and Propionibacterium acnes. These organisms were analysed for production of an elastolytic enzyme which might play a role in the observed selective loss of elastic fibers. No elastolytic activity was produced by S. epidermidis or P. acnes isolated from any of these individuals. Thus, we cannot attribute the perifollicular loss of elastic fibers in acne scarring to an elastase produced by organisms. The observed absence of elastic fibers might result from tissue necrosis produced by leukocytes during the inflammatory phase, followed by collagenous scar formation without regeneration of elastic fibers.