BACKGROUND
Acne is the most common dermatosis characterized by lesions of the sebaceous glands. Despite significant advances in treating acne, the issues of improving the treatment and further investigating the causes of the disease remain unresolved. Recent research from the global scientific community describes stress as a new factor worsening the condition of patients. The interaction between the nervous and immune systems and the role of neurogenic inflammation (neuropeptides) in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases is of increasing interest to scientists.
OBJECTIVE
To summarize the available data and evaluate the role of different neuropeptides in the pathogenesis of acne to optimize the diagnostic search for patients with this dermatosis.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Review of studies in electronic databases Scopus, Web of Science, Mendeley, PubMed, and elibrary.ru in English and Russian. The keywords «acne and stress», «neuropeptides», «neuropeptides in acne», and «neurogenic inflammation in acne» selected 45 scientific papers with a given citation index.
RESULTS
Despite the advances in the study of molecular genetic and immunological aspects of acne, the role of neurogenic inflammation in pathogenesis remains an unresolved issue.
CONCLUSION
Regulatory neuropeptides with hormonal and non-hormonal activity can control the development of inflammation in acne. The most studied neuropeptide is substance P, which is known to be associated with acne pathogenesis. In addition to activating proinflammatory cytokines, substance P is involved in sebaceous gland cell proliferation and differentiation. Furthermore, experimental data indicate the existence of a hypothalamic-pituitary-skin axis and show a stimulatory effect of skin-specific corticotropin-releasing hormone on the cutaneous «stress» system, which is involved in acne development. Further research is needed to investigate this mechanism in more detail.