J. Soc. Cosmet. Chem. 23 393-404 (1972) ¸ 1972 Society of Cosmetic Chemists of Great Britain Does the secretion pituitary gland affect the of sebum.2 F.j. EBLING* Presented on 9th March 1971 in Eastbourne, Sussex, at the Symposium on 'Appendages of the skin', organized by the Society of Cosmetic Chemists of Great Britain. $yn0psl•The control of the activity of the SEBACEOUS GLANDS is of interest to derma- tologists and cosmeticians alike because of the light it may shed on the problem of ache vulgaris. TESTOSTERONE is known to stimulate sebaceous secretion in man and experi- mental animals, and appears to act by promoting both cell division and intracellular synthesis of sebum within the sebaceous glands. OESTROGENS and ANTI-ANDROGENIC STEROIDS reduce sebaceous activity, but probably act at differing points. Although there is some disagreement between workers, the action of testosterone on the sebaceous glands of the RAT appears to require the presence of the pituitary. The response of the sebaceous glands in hypophysectomized rats to testosterone have been restored by various preparations of PITUITARY HORMONES, for example, growth hormone prolactin and thyrotrophic hormone. The sebaceous glands of hypophysectomized rats are, moreover, markedly more sensitive to 5 (•-DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE or to ANDROSTENEDIONE than to testo- sterone. It seems possible, therefore, that pituitary HORMONES affect the inter-conversion of androgens in the sebaceous glands. In considering the possibility of controlling sebaceous activity by steroids, these facts could be of importance. In spite of the rapid increase in knowledge of the skin, acne vulgaris remains a difficult problem for dermatologists and cosmeticians as well as a distressing condition for those who suffer from it. The aetiology of acne is not fully understood, and it would be a mistake to assume that it is solely due to hyperactivity of the sebaceous glands brought about by hormonal factors. Nevertheless, the fact that the condition occurs mainly in adoles- cence, when male hormones start to be produced in quantity by the testis in *Department of Zoology, The University, Sheffield, S10 2TN. 393

394 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS males and by the adrenal cortex in both males and females, clearly suggests that hormones are concerned, as Hamilton (1) recognized about 30 years ago. The way in which hormones affect the sebaceous glands in man and in experimental animals is well known, and the subject has often been reviewed (2-5). Androgens increase sebaceous secretion (3, 6) the evidence is that they do this both by stimulating cell division in the sebaceous glands and by promoting synthesis of sebum within the sebaceous cells (7-9). Oestrogens decrease sebaceous secretion (3, 6). They appear to do this mainly by inhibiting the synthesis of sebum within the cells, rather than by diminishing cell division (8, 9). In contrast, anti-androgenic steroids, such as 17 a-methyl-B-nortestosterone (9), cyproterone acetate (5), or A 1-chlormadinone acetate (10), reduce sebaceous secretion mainly by blocking the effect of androgen on cell division. However, there has been some debate about the working of oestrogens and it has been suggested that they may not act peripherally on the sebaceous gland, but systemically by suppressing endogenous production of androgens (3, 4). Controversy has also existed as to whether progesterone can stimulate the sebaceous glands and some authors have implicated it as a cause of female acne (11, 12). It seems unlikely that it has any effect except possibly in very large doses (13, 14). The view that testosterone can only stimulate the sebaceous glands if the pituitary is present dates back to the work of Lasher, Lorincz and Rothman in 1954 (15). In the following year the same group published evidence for the existence of a pituitary sebaceous gland tropic factor which was claimed to be distinct from other pituitary hormones (16). I was working on this problem and had come to the same conclusion the papers by the Chicago group prompted me to publish my own findings (7). My conclusions were based upon changes in sebaceous gland size, based on measurements of the areas of gland sections, or on cell counts. The incidence of mitosis was also studied. but the figures were subject to fairly wide variation, and the results were less conclusive. The Chicago group subsequently claimed to have produced an anterior pituitary preparation with 'tropic' activity for sebaceous, preputial, and Harderian glands (12, 17). Not until 1965 did they achieve further puri- fication of such a substance (18, 19). The system used for assay of this pre- paration was, however, the response of the preputial gland to progesterone. Since the sebaceous glands do not react to progesterone, irrespective of whether the pituitary is present, and since the preputial glands respond