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Journal List > Br Med J > v.4(5888); Nov 10, 1973

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Br Med J. 1973 November 10; 4(5888): 332–335.
PMCID: PMC1587436
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Tetracycline and Acne Vulgaris: A Clinical and Laboratory Investigation
W. J. Cunliffe, R. A. Forster, N. D. Greenwood, C. Hetherington, K. T. Holland, R. L. Holmes, S. Khan, C. D. Roberts, M. Williams, and B. Williamson
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Abstract
A satisfactory clinical response to long-term oral tetracycline treatment was associated with a mean serum tetracycline of 1·98 μg/ml. The surface lipid showed an increased triglyceride, decreased free fatty acids, and decreased cholesterol, and the amount of keratin within the pilosebaceous duct was reduced. At this dose level there was no quantitative decrease in the bacterial flora though there was a decrease in the fatty acids. We believe that the latter was due to a direct inhibition by tetracycline on extracellular lipases.
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Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
  • Ashurst PJ. Tetracycline in acne vulgaris. Practitioner. 1968 Apr;200(198):539–541. [PubMed]
  • Beveridge GW, Powell EW. Sebum changes in acne vulgaris treated with tetracycline. Br J Dermatol. 1969 Jul;81(7):525–527. [PubMed]
  • Freinkel RK, Strauss JS, Yip SY, Pochi PE. Effect of tetracycline on the composition of sebum in acne vulgaris. N Engl J Med. 1965 Oct 14;273(16):850–854. [PubMed]
  • Gloor M, Graumann U, Wiegand I, Friederich HC. Uber den Einfluss der Tetracyclintherapie bei Acne vulgaris auf Menge und Zusammensetzung der Hautoberflächenlipide bei verschiedener Dosierung. Arch Dermatol Forsch. 1972;242(3):309–315. [PubMed]
  • Goltz RW, Kjartansson S. Oral tetracycline treatment on bacterial flora in acne vulgaris. Arch Dermatol. 1966 Jan;93(1):92–100. [PubMed]
  • Hassing GS. Inhibition of Corynebacterium acnes lipase by tetracycline. J Invest Dermatol. 1971 Mar;56(3):189–192. [PubMed]
  • Holmes RL, Williams M, Cunliffe WJ. Pilo-sebaceous duct obstruction and acne. Br J Dermatol. 1972 Oct;87(4):327–332. [PubMed]
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  • Kligman AM, Katz AG. Pathogenesis of acne vulgaris. I. Comedogenic properties of human sebum in external ear canal of the rabbit. Arch Dermatol. 1968 Jul;98(1):53–57. [PubMed]
  • Lane P, Williamson DM. Treatment of acne vulgaris with tetracycline hydrochloride: a double-blind trial with 51 patients. Br Med J. 1969 Apr 12;2(5649):76–79. [PubMed]
  • Marples RR, Kligman AM. Ecological effects of oral antibiotics on the microflora of human skin. Arch Dermatol. 1971 Feb;103(2):148–153. [PubMed]
  • SHEHADEH NH, KLIGMAN AM. THE BACTERIOLOGY OF ACNE. Arch Dermatol. 1963 Dec;88:829–831. [PubMed]
  • Smith EL, Mortimer PR. Tetracycline in acne vulgaris. Br J Dermatol. 1967 Feb;79(2):78–84. [PubMed]
  • Strauss JS, Pochi PE. Intracutaneous injection of sebum and comedones. Histological observations. Arch Dermatol. 1965 Oct;92(4):443–456. [PubMed]
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