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  4. Vol 4, Issue 1, 2026

Cytokines as Therapeutic Targets for Inflammatory Acne Valgaris

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DOI: 10.23977/medbm.2026.040114 | Downloads: 0 | Views: 3

Author(s)

Yujiao Gao 1, Ting-Wei Chang 2, Chun-Ming Huang 1

Affiliation(s)

1 School of Biological Sciences and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
2 Asia-Space Shang Yan (Suzhou) Biomedical Co., Ltd, Suzhou, China

Corresponding Author

Chun-Ming Huang

ABSTRACT

Acne vulgaris is a chronic disease that affects the pilosebaceous units and is driven by sebum quality, keratinization of follicles, microorganisms, and the immune system. The Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) bacterium is abundant on both healthy and acne-prone skin; its pathogenicity therefore reflects strain-level virulence, community dysbiosis and a permissive follicular microenvironment rather than bacterial abundance alone. C. acnes can activate Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)-nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36)-reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling in keratinocytes, TLR2 signaling in sebocytes and monocyte/macrophage-lineage cells, and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3)-caspase-1 processing of interleukin (IL)-1 beta (IL-1β). IL-1, IL-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) initiate and amplify innate inflammation, whereas IL-12, IL-17 and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) sustain T helper 1 (Th1) and T helper 17 (Th17) responses. Existing guidelines favor  benzoyl peroxide (BPO), topical retinoids, and specific antimicrobial approaches. However, these treatment modalities are not alike in terms of impact on microorganism flora. Probiotic and postbiotic strategies demonstrate promising results in clinical trials, while phage therapy, endolysins, and cytokine inhibition are still experimental. This review summarizes C. acnes-driven inflammatory signaling, evaluates the microbiome effects of current treatments and identifies priorities for future therapeutic development.

KEYWORDS

Skin Microbiome; Cutibacterium Acnes; Cytokines; Th17; Targeted Therapy

CITE THIS PAPER

Yujiao Gao, Ting-Wei Chang, Chun-Ming Huang. Cytokines as Therapeutic Targets for Inflammatory Acne Valgaris. MEDS Basic Medicine (2026). Vol. 4, No. 1, 105-112. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/medbm.2026.040114.

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