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Horm Metab Res 2007; 39(2): 166-170
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-961811
Original

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Skin Signaling is Receptor-Mediated and is Predominant in the Sebaceous Glands

K. Krause 1 , A. Schnitger 1 , S. Fimmel 1 , E. Glass 1 , C. C. Zouboulis 1 , 2
  • 1Department of Dermatology, Charité Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
  • 2Departments of Dermatology and Immunology, Dessau Medical Center, Dessau, Germany
Further Information

Publication History

received 4. 1. 2006

accepted 24. 5. 2006

Publication Date:
27 February 2007 (online)

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Abstract

There is increasing evidence that the sebaceous gland expresses receptors for several neuropeptides and is involved in responses to stress. Among them, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) was currently found to be produced also in the skin. In this study, the distribution of CRH, CRH receptors 1 and 2 (CRH-R1 and CRH-R2), and CRH binding protein (CRH-BP) in cultured human (SZ95) sebocytes was further characterized. Moreover, the effects of CRH and CRH-like peptides on proliferation and inflammatory signaling of CRH receptor-expressing SZ95 sebocytes in vitro were investigated. Urocortin (Uct), urotensin and sauvagine are recently described members of the family of structurally related CRH-like peptides, whereas Uct shares a 45% homology with CRH. CRH and Uct inhibited SZ95 sebocyte proliferation with CRH also stimulating interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) release from SZ95 sebocytes. However, CRH had no effect on interleukin-1α and interleukin-1β production in these cells. α-Helical-CRF, a CRH antagonistic peptide, annulled the CRH effect on SZ95 sebocyte proliferation and interleukin secretion, while the non-peptidic CRH-R1 selective antagonist antalarmin inhibited the increased production of neutral lipids caused by CRH. In conclusion, CRH, and to a lesser extent Uct, may be involved in signaling of stress pathophysiology in the skin. However, further investigations into the downstream effects of CRH and Uct are required to elucidate the mechanism by which these neuropeptides could establish a stress-related pathophysiological condition in the skin.

Keywords

CRH - skin - SZ95 sebocytes - interleukins - proliferation - lipogenesis

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1 The authors, K. Krause and A. Schnitger, contributed equally to the work.

Correspondence

C. C.Zouboulis 

Departments of Dermatology and Immunology Dessau Medical Center

Auenweg 38

06847 Dessau

Germany

Phone: +49/340/501 40 00

Fax: +49/340/501 40 25

Email: christos.zouboulis@klinikum-dessau.de