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Related Concept Videos

Accessory Structures of the Skin: Sebaceous Glands01:21

Accessory Structures of the Skin: Sebaceous Glands

A sebaceous gland is a type of oil gland found almost all over the skin ( except palms and soles) and helps lubricate and waterproof the skin and hair. Most sebaceous glands are associated with hair follicles. They generate and excrete sebum, a mixture of lipids, onto the skin surface, thereby naturally lubricating the dry and dead layer of keratinized cells of the stratum corneum, keeping it pliable.
These glands that produce the oils on the skin and hair are holocrine glands. The mature...
Membrane Lipids01:32

Membrane Lipids

Lipids are an essential component of all biological membranes. The average lipid content in mammalian membranes is 50%, though it can be as low as 20% in the inner mitochondrial membrane or as high as 80% in the myelin sheath present around the nerve cells.
Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin are the most common phospholipids present in mammalian membranes. At physiological pH, phosphatidylserine is negatively charged, while the other three...
Membrane Lipids01:32

Membrane Lipids

Lipids are an essential component of all biological membranes. The average lipid content in mammalian membranes is 50%, though it can be as low as 20% in the inner mitochondrial membrane or as high as 80% in the myelin sheath present around the nerve cells.
Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin are the most common phospholipids present in mammalian membranes. At physiological pH, phosphatidylserine is negatively charged, while the other three...
Exocrine Glands: Methods of Secretion01:08

Exocrine Glands: Methods of Secretion

Exocrine glands are those that release their secretions through ducts. Based on their mode of secretion, they can be classified into merocrine, apocrine, and holocrine.
Merocrine Secretion
Merocrine secretion is the most common type of exocrine secretion. The secretions are enclosed in vesicles and moved to the cell's apical surface, where the contents are released by exocytosis. For example, mucous, a watery secretion rich in the glycoprotein mucin, is a merocrine secretion. The eccrine glands...
Lipid Digestion01:06

Lipid Digestion

Lipids are large molecules that are generally not water-soluble. Since most of the digestive enzymes in the human body are water-based, there are specific steps the body must take to break down lipids and make them available for use.
What are Lipids?01:38

What are Lipids?

Overview

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Profiling the Triacylglyceride Contents in Bat Integumentary Lipids by Preparative Thin Layer Chromatography and MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry
09:18

Profiling the Triacylglyceride Contents in Bat Integumentary Lipids by Preparative Thin Layer Chromatography and MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry

Published on: September 5, 2013

Sebaceous gland lipids.

Mauro Picardo1, Monica Ottaviani, Emanuela Camera

  • 1San Gallicano Dermatological Institute; IRCCS; Rome, Italy.

Dermato-Endocrinology
|March 13, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Sebaceous glands produce sebum, crucial for skin protection. Understanding sebum regulation is key to developing new acne therapies by targeting lipid biosynthesis.

Keywords:
acnedietsebumsqualene peroxide

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Published on: November 23, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Dermatology
  • Biochemistry
  • Lipid Metabolism

Background:

  • Sebaceous glands secrete sebum, a complex lipid mixture vital for skin protection.
  • Human sebum contains unique lipids like squalene and wax esters, essential for epidermal barrier function.
  • The precise functions and regulatory pathways of human sebum remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the factors and mechanisms governing sebum production.
  • To identify novel therapeutic targets for modulating lipid biosynthesis in pilosebaceous unit disorders.
  • To explore the role of sebum dysregulation in acne pathophysiology.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on sebaceous gland physiology and lipid metabolism.
  • Analysis of sebum composition in human skin.
  • Investigation of regulatory pathways controlling sebum secretion.

Main Results:

  • Sebum composition varies across species, suggesting functional adaptations.
  • Squalene and wax esters are major protective components unique to human sebum.
  • Increased sebum secretion is a primary factor in acne development, alongside qualitative and quantitative changes.

Conclusions:

  • Further understanding of sebum production mechanisms is essential for therapeutic advancements.
  • Targeting lipid biosynthesis offers a novel strategy for treating acne and other pilosebaceous unit disorders.
  • Selective modulation of sebum composition and secretion holds therapeutic potential.