The Sound of Evolution
Adapalene
Mechanism of action:
Adapalene selectively binds to retinoic acid receptors in skin cells, particularly RAR-β and RAR-γ, and regulates gene expression. This promotes normal keratinocyte differentiation and inhibits hyperkeratinization and comedone formation. In addition, it has anti-inflammatory effects and can reduce inflammation and papule formation in acne lesions. Because its chemical structure is relatively stable and more resistant to light and oxygen, it is commonly used as a topical retinoid.
Reference(s):
1. Wang Q et al. (2019). Adapalene inhibits ovarian cancer ES-2 cells growth by targeting glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase 1. Bioorg Chem.
2. Wu Q et al. (2022). The discovery of a non-competitive GOT1 inhibitor, hydralazine hydrochloride, via a coupling reaction-based high-throughput screening assay. Bioorg Med Chem Lett.
3. Liu T et al. (2025). BindingDB in 2024: a FAIR knowledgebase of protein-small molecule binding data. Nucleic Acids Res.