THE IN VITRO INCORPORATION OF 14C-ACETATE INTO THE ISOLATED SEBACEOUS GLANDS AND APPENDAGE-FREED EPIDERMIS OF HUMAN SKIN

Summary.— Following in vitro culture of 4 mm discs of human skin in the presence of ¹⁴C-acetate, the intact sebaceous glands have been harvested, using 1 mol/1 calcium chloride, thus permitting a study of the incorporation of ¹⁴C into the sebaceous gland lipids and into the lipids of the overlying appendage-freed epidermis. The method is reliable, and satisfactory patterns of incorporation have been obtained from sebaceous glands harvested from single biopsies (5–15 glands).
The pattern of incorporation obtained from the sebaceous glands has been contrasted with that from the appendage-freed epidermis, and compared with previously reported biochemical analyses of the lipids of the isolated sebaceous gland and surface film.
It is suggested that this technique could be applied to the study of sebaceous gland lipogenesis in a variety of clinical conditions and used as an in vitro screening procedure for drugs likely to influence sebum excretion.