Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Retinoids: An overview of pharmacokinetics and therapeutic value

1990; Academic Press; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0076-6879(90)90034-x

1557-7988

Harald Gollnick, R. Ehlert, G. Rinck, C.E. Orfanos,

Skin Protection and Aging

Retinoids are naturally existing substances and synthetic derivatives of retinol exhibiting vitamin A activity. This chapter provides an overview of pharmacokinetics and therapeutic value of retinoids. A number of retinoids have been synthesized, but only three therapeutically useful retinoids have become commercially available for oral medication: isotretinoin, etretinate, and acitretin. Isotretinoin and etretinate are the two retinoids currently commercially available for systemic oral therapy. In acne, isotretinoin affects (1) the epithelium by inhibiting excessive proliferation of keratinocytes and influencing infundibular differentiation of keratinocytes and (2) the sebaceous glands by decreasing the size of the glands, reducing the activity of the glands, and influencing the lipid composition of sebum and comedos. Isotretinoin is the most potent drug currently known to reduce effectively sebum secretion rates (SER), when reliably measured with the direct gravimetric technique. In severe recalcitrant rosacea papulopustulosa and conglobata and even in early stages of rhinophyma, as long as no fibrous connective tissue transformation has occurred, a response to isotretinoin therapy may be expected at dose levels of 0.5–1.0 mg/kg/day after 3-6 months of therapy. Except for antiandrogenic contraceptive preparations in female patients, no combination therapy is recommended under oral isotretinoin medication.