Steroid pathways in sebaceous glands

Abstract

The existing literature on steroid pathways in specialized sebaceous glands appears to be limited almost entirely to androgen metabolism. The following are discussed in this report: the in vivo uptake and metabolism of steroids by sebaceous glands; the in vitro metabolism of testosterone by sebaceous gland analogues; the metabolism of dehydroepiandrosterone by rat preputial gland in vitro; the metabolism of progesterone in rat preputial gland in vitro; and steroid transformations in human sebaceous glands. Controlling mechanisms: many factors interact to determine the amount of steroid metabolized by sebaceous glands and the specific metabolites resulting therefrom. Some of these factors are discussed.