Scientists have shown that the use of antibodies created in the laboratory to target a toxin produced by the bacteria P. acnes can prevent the inflammatory response leading to the development of skin lesions.
“Once validated by a large-scale clinical trial, our results will have an impact on hundreds of millions of people with acne,” said Chun-Ming Huang, director of research. “Current treatment options are not effective or poorly tolerated by 85% of adolescents and over 40 million adults in the US. New, safe and effective therapies are needed,” he adds.
Following a series of experiments on mice and isolated human tissues, scientists have proven that the use of antibodies created in the laboratory to target a toxin produced by the bacteria P. acnes could prevent the inflammatory response leading to the development of skin lesions.
20 to 50% of acne patients present with depressive disorders
Currently, acne is treated either with topical medications or with oral medications. In either case, the success rates of care are inconsistent, and the side effects numerous. In France, 6 million people suffer from acne, which affects more women than men. 70% of adolescents are affected, from the age of 11/12 years. In addition, 20 to 50% of acne patients present with depressive disorders.
Previous research by his team had shown that a toxic protein secreted by P. acnes, called CAMP factor, helped develop the inflammatory pathway expressed in pimples, papules, nodules and other cysts.
In his latest investigation, detailed in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Chun-Ming Huang and colleagues sought to confirm that the CAMP factor was the main driving force behind inflammatory acne in humans and whether a vaccine approach was feasible. Their results in mice indicate that antibodies to CAMP factor 2, a version of the toxin that appears to occur in all five human strains of P. acnes, significantly decreased the expression of an inflammatory signaling molecule called interleukin 8 (IL-8). In addition, acne lesions taken from human patients and treated with antibodies to CAMP factor 2 showed significant reductions in IL-8 and another similar molecule, called IL-1β.
Factors derived from P. acne
Now that an antibody has been identified, the team hopes to create a formulation that can be used safely in humans. If successful, researchers predict that an acne vaccine could also be used against other diseases associated with the P. acnes, such as prostate cancer, sepsis, syndrome toxic shock, heart infections, bone infections and various post-surgical infections.
“Acne immunotherapies that target factors derived from P. acne must be designed with caution to avoid any undesirable disturbance of the microbiome which guarantees skin homeostasis “, warns Emmanuel Contassot, dermatologist, however.
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