Androgens and Acne: A New Method for the Screening of Antiandrogens in Human Skin

Recent work on steroid metabolism in skin is discussed and it is shown that many metabolic transformations involve the 3β− and 17β−hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases. Histochemical techniques which are used are outlined, and the distribution of the 3β− and 17β−HSD within human sebaceous glands is described. The interesting patchy distribution of 17β-HSD is described and an hypothesis concerning the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris is tentatively put forward. The basis for the use of antiandrogens in human skin is discussed and the definition of an antiandrogen using the histochemical screening method outlined. For the purpose of this paper the term antiandrogen is restricted to substances which directly inhibit certain enzymes of androgen metabolism in a histochemical system at the level of the sebaceous glands. A histochemical method for the screening of antiandrogens using human skin is described and the results with a few compounds reported and compared with the results of bioassay. The advantages and disadvantages of the technique are described and it is emphasized that the method is not intended to be used on its own, but simply as a screening technique.