Little is known about the altered lipid metabolism-related transcriptional events occuring in sebaceous glands of patients with acne vulgaris. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ( PPAR)γ, a lipid-activated transcription factor, is implicated in differentiation and lipid metabolism of sebocytes. We have observed that PPARγ and its target genes, ADRP (adipose differentiation related protein) and PGAR ( PPARγ angioprotein related protein) are expressed at lower levels in sebocytes from patients with acne than in those from healthy controls ( HCs) Furthermore, endogenous PPARγ activator lipids such as arachidonic acid-derived keto-metabolites (e.g. 5 KETE, 12 KETE) are increased in acne-involved and nonacne-involved skin of patients with acne, compared with skin from healthy individuals. Our findings highlight the possible anti-inflammatory role of endogenous ligand-activated PPARγ signaling in human sebocyte biology, and suggest that modulating PPARγ- expression and thereby signaling might be a promising strategy for the clinical management of acne vulgaris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]