073 Development of several acne testing models in vitro using skin tissue engineering and based on a bioinformatic approach

Acne vulgaris is the most common skin disease worldwide, with a prevalence of 80 to 85% among adolescents. It is a complex multifactorial skin disease of the pilosebaceous follicles and is characterized by comedones, papules, pustules, and nodules that leave psychological as well as physical scars. The main pathogenic factors associated with acne development are follicular hyperkeratinization, increased sebum excretion (and alterations of the sebum composition), Propionibacterium acnes colonization, and inflammation. However, the sequence of events involved in acne lesion initiation, augmentation, and resolution have eluded acne researches. Bioinformatics is a powerful approach to understand the relationships between genes involved in a biological process. As acne is correlated with modulated expression of specific genes, we developed in this study a bioinformatic model of the interactions between the genes involved in acne pathogenesis, with the goal of better understanding the relationships between hyperproliferation, excess sebum and inflammation. In addition to this in silico approach, several in vitro test models were developed using skin tissue engineering and covering the hyperproliferation, sebum and inflammatory aspects. This complementary approach will enable further study of the modulating potential of biofunctional ingredients or other chemicals on aspects of acne pathogenesis in vitro.