Assessing Anti-Acne Potentials Via In vitro, Ex vivo, and In vivo Models: A Comprehensive Approach

Acne vulgaris is the 8th most commonly prevailing skin disorder worldwide. Its pervasiveness has been predominant in juveniles, especially males, during adolescence and in females during adulthood. The lifestyle and nutrition adopted have been significantly reported to impact the occurrence and frequency of acne. It typically occurs over the regions of the forehead, upper chest, and back of the body, which are regions with high proportions of active sebaceous follicles. The market today is flooded with the pool of anti-acne medications (oral, topical/systemic) that contain either a single therapeutic agent or a blend targeting multiple pathological pathways. However, the clinical applicability of these preparations is limited due to formulation stability, drug penetrability, and targeting, the incidence of secondary effects, antibiotic resistance, etc. Moreover, the effectiveness of the former therapies varies as per the type and severity of acne. Therefore, it is necessary to extensively research skin physiology under normal and diseased conditions so that newer, safer, and more effective medications can be devised. Moreover, their safety and efficacy should be validated by employing various acne models, and their comparative profiling should be done with standard marketed anti-acne preparations. Acne models assist to uncover the complex disease pathogenesis and identify the potential targets for therapeutic interventions. This review is an attempt to highlight varied in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo testing procedures done to assess drug efficacy, track disease progression, and compare test substances with existing treatments. By presenting a unified approach to acne modeling, this review will assist researchers in selecting the most appropriate model for their specific research goals, helping them to generate valuable and reproducible data to support the development of effective acne therapies.