TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of caffeine and testosterone on the proliferation of human hair follicles in vitro
AU - Fischer, Tobias W.
AU - Hipler, U. C.
AU - Elsner, P.
PY - 2007/1
Y1 - 2007/1
N2 - Background: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common problem in men of all ages, affecting approximately 50% at 50 years of age. The underlying cause is an androgen-dependent miniaturization of genetically predetermined hair follicles. Here, the hair organ culture model was used to investigate the effects of testosterone and caffeine; the latter being a promising candidate for hair growth stimulation. Methods: Hair follicles from 14 biopsies, taken from the vertex areas from male AGA patients, were cultivated for 120-192 h in vitro with normal William's E medium (control) or William's E medium containing different concentrations of testosterone and/or caffeine. Hair shaft elongation was measured daily and at the end of cultivation, cryosections of follicles were stained with Ki-67 to evaluate the degree and localization of keratinocyte proliferation. Results: Significant growth suppression was found in hair follicles treated with 5 μg/ml testosterone. This was counteracted by caffeine in concentrations of 0.001% and 0.005%. Moreover, caffeine alone led to a significant stimulation of hair follicle growth. These results were confirmed immunohistochemically by Ki-67 staining. Conclusions: Androgen-dependent growth inhibition of ex. vivo hair follicles from patients suffering from AGA was present in the human hair organ culture model, a constellation which may serve for future studies to screen new substances against androgen-dependent hair loss. Caffeine was identified as a stimulator of human hair growth in vitro; a fact which may have important clinical impact in the management of AGA.
AB - Background: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common problem in men of all ages, affecting approximately 50% at 50 years of age. The underlying cause is an androgen-dependent miniaturization of genetically predetermined hair follicles. Here, the hair organ culture model was used to investigate the effects of testosterone and caffeine; the latter being a promising candidate for hair growth stimulation. Methods: Hair follicles from 14 biopsies, taken from the vertex areas from male AGA patients, were cultivated for 120-192 h in vitro with normal William's E medium (control) or William's E medium containing different concentrations of testosterone and/or caffeine. Hair shaft elongation was measured daily and at the end of cultivation, cryosections of follicles were stained with Ki-67 to evaluate the degree and localization of keratinocyte proliferation. Results: Significant growth suppression was found in hair follicles treated with 5 μg/ml testosterone. This was counteracted by caffeine in concentrations of 0.001% and 0.005%. Moreover, caffeine alone led to a significant stimulation of hair follicle growth. These results were confirmed immunohistochemically by Ki-67 staining. Conclusions: Androgen-dependent growth inhibition of ex. vivo hair follicles from patients suffering from AGA was present in the human hair organ culture model, a constellation which may serve for future studies to screen new substances against androgen-dependent hair loss. Caffeine was identified as a stimulator of human hair growth in vitro; a fact which may have important clinical impact in the management of AGA.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33845940574&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1365-4632.2007.03119.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1365-4632.2007.03119.x
M3 - Journal articles
C2 - 17214716
AN - SCOPUS:33845940574
SN - 0011-9059
VL - 46
SP - 27
EP - 35
JO - International Journal of Dermatology
JF - International Journal of Dermatology
IS - 1
ER -