Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 May 8;24(9):8428.
doi: 10.3390/ijms24098428.

New Insight into the Molecular Pathomechanism and Immunomodulatory Treatments of Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Elisa Molinelli  1 , Helena Gioacchini  1 , Claudia Sapigni  1 , Federico Diotallevi  1 , Valerio Brisigotti  1 , Giulio Rizzetto  1 , Annamaria Offidani  1 , Oriana Simonetti  1
Affiliations
Review

New Insight into the Molecular Pathomechanism and Immunomodulatory Treatments of Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Elisa Molinelli et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is an immune-mediated inflammatory disorder characterized by deep-seated nodules, abscesses, sinus tracts and scars localized in the intertriginous areas. It is accompanied by pain, malodourous secretion and a dramatically decreased quality of life. Although the pathogenesis has not been entirely elucidated, the primary event is follicular hyperkeratosis of the pilosebaceous apocrine unit. Since the registration of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor Adalimumab in 2015, several cytokines have been implicated in the pathomechanism of HS and the research of novel therapeutic targets has been intensified. We provide an update on the inflammatory cytokines with a central role in HS pathogenesis and the most promising target molecules of future HS management.

Keywords: adalimumab; biologics; hidradenitis suppurativa; infliximab; secukinumab; therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Molecular targets in HS. IL-36: Interleukin (IL) 36; IL-6: Interleukin (IL) 6; IL-10: Interleukin-(IL)10; IL-1: Interleukin (IL) 1; IL-23: Interleukin (IL) 23; IL-12: Interleukin (IL) 12; IL-17: Interleukin (IL) 17; TNFα: Tumour Necrosis Factor α; IFN-γ: Interferon γ (Created by Biorender.com, 21 January 2023).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Van der Zee H.H., Laman J.D., Boer J., Prens E.P. Hidradenitis suppurativa: Viewpoint on clinical phenotyping, pathogenesis and novel treatments. Exp. Dermatol. 2012;21:735–739. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0625.2012.01552.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. LeWitt T.M., Mammis-Gierbolini A., Parnell M., Sarfo A., Paek S.Y., Benhadou F., Del Marmol V., Hsiao J.L., Kirby J., Daveluy S. International consensus definition of disease flare in hidradenitis suppurativa. Br. J. Dermatol. 2022;187:785–787. doi: 10.1111/bjd.21647. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Garg A., Lavian J., Lin G., Strunk A., Alloo A. Incidence of hidradenitis suppurativa in the United States: A sex- and age-adjusted population analysis. J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 2017;77:118–122. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2017.02.005. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Offidani A., Molinelli E., Sechi A., Brisigotti V., Campanati A., Raone B., Neri I., Patrizi A. Hidradenitis suppurativa in a prepubertal case series: A call for specific guidelines. J. Eur. Acad. Dermatol. Venereol. 2019;33:28–31. doi: 10.1111/jdv.15827. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bianchi L., Caposiena Caro R.D., Ganzetti G., Molinelli E., Dini V., Oranges T., Romanelli M., Fabbrocini G., Monfrecola G., Napolitano M., et al. Sex-related differences of clinical features in hidradenitis suppurativa: Analysis of an Italian-based cohort. Clin. Exp. Dermatol. 2019;44:177–180. doi: 10.1111/ced.13861. - DOI - PubMed