Something new on acne and diet ?

Does food have an impact on sebeaceous glands ?

Sebacous glands appear to play another role:

• They concentrate and metabolize food stuffs
• More precisely, they concentrate exogeneous compounds (xenobiotics) from foods
• The liver appears not to play its role of the liver which would normally be expected to metabolize these foodstuffs. The sebocyte would therefore play the “first line” role to metabolize these xenobiotics.
• Xenobiotics would stimulate aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)…which then activates Cyp1A1 protein generation… which enables digestion of the xenobiotic and its secretion by the kidney.

The evidence:

• Activation of the promotor of Cyp1A1 in mice induces green fluorescence located on the ears, and then the liver.
• The green ears of the mouse contain sebaceous glands.
• Green florescence is due to the attachment of the area to the CYP1A1 gene.

What stimulates AhR ? (AhR ligands)

• Man made contaminant chemicals: polyhalognenated aromatic hydrocarbiom. Also called antheopbogenic AhR agonists.
• Natural substances: flavanoids (such as cabbage). Also called natural AhR agonists
• Drugs. Also called pharmacoogenic AhR agonists

Source of information. Saurat JH. Can diet affect the sebocyte – what is the evidence ? European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Annual Meeting – Istanbul, Turkey, 2-6 October 2013