Glucocorticoids for human skin: New aspects of the mechanism of action

Topical glucocorticoids have always been considered first-line
drugs for inflammatory diseases of the skin and bronchial system.
Applied systemically, glucocorticoids are used for severe
inflammatory and immunological diseases and the inhibition of
transplant rejection. Owing to the progress in molecular
pharmacology, the knowledge of the mechanism of action has
increased during the last years. Besides distinct genomic targets,
which are due to the activation of specific cytoplasmatic receptors
resulting in the (trans-) activation or (trans-) repression of
target genes, there are non-genomic effects on the basis of the
interference with membrane-associated receptors as well as with
membrane lipids. In fact, various glucocorticoids appear to differ
with respect to the relative influence on these targets. Thus, the
extended knowledge of glucocorticoid-induced cellular signalling
should allow the design and development of even more specifically
acting drugs-as it has been obtained with other steroids, e.g.
estrogens for osteoporosis prevention. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger
AG, Basel.