Influence of Substance P on Cultured Sebocytes
April 2008
in “
Archives of Dermatological Research
”
TLDR Substance P may worsen acne by increasing inflammation, but corticosteroids might help by reducing this effect.
The study from 2008 explored the impact of substance P (SP) on the development of acne by examining its effects on sebocytes, which are cells involved in acne formation. The researchers discovered that SP increased the production of proinflammatory cytokines and PPAR-y in these cells, indicating SP's role in promoting inflammation in acne. However, the addition of dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, alongside SP did not result in a significant increase in these inflammatory markers. This suggests that corticosteroids may have a therapeutic effect in treating acne by counteracting the inflammation caused by SP. The exact number of sebocyte cultures used in the study was not provided, which is a limitation in assessing the strength of the study.