title: Androgens affect the activity of human sebocytes in culture in a manner dependent on the localization of the sebaceous glands and their effect is antagonized by spironolactone.
abstract: To investigate the varying response of the pilosebaceous unit to androgens functional studies were performed on the effects of testosterone and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone on cultured human sebocytes derived from different skin regions. In addition, the effect of spironolactone on the proliferation of androgen-stimulated human sebocytes derived from facial skin was evaluated. Testosterone (10(-11) to 10(-5) M), 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (10(-11) to 10(-5) M) and spironolactone (10(-12) to 10(-7) M) were added for 10 days as single substances or in combinations to human sebocytes in secondary culture maintained in a serum-free medium. Cell proliferation was assessed using a fluorometric assay. Intracellular lipids were extracted from sebocytes treated with androgens (10(-7) M) for 10 days after confluency. Testosterone inhibited the proliferation of sebocytes derived from the legs with a 50%-inhibitory concentration at 10(-5) M and induced a 50% decrease of intracellular lipids. In contrast, 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone stimulated the activity of leg sebocytes with a 50% increase of proliferation at 10(-5) M, and a 175% increase of intracellular lipids. On the other hand, the proliferation of facial sebocytes was significantly stimulated by testosterone with a 50%-stimulatory concentration at 10(-6) to 10(-5) M and mostly by 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone with a 50% enhancement at 10(-8) to 10(-7) M. Spironolactone inhibited the proliferation of facial sebocytes in a dose-dependent manner with a 25%-inhibitory concentration at 10(-9) M. Simultaneous treatment of facial sebocytes with spironolactone and testosterone or 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone resulted in decreased proliferation when compared to the growth obtained under androgens alone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Steglitz, Free University of Berlin, FRG.
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Zouboulis
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akamatsu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stephanek
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Orfanos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000728:Androgens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone / Q000378:metabolism; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg; D008297:Male; D012627:Sebaceous Glands / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D013148:Spironolactone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000726:Androgen Antagonists; D000728:Androgens; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone; D013148:Spironolactone; D013739:Testosterone