Re-Densification Effect of Pressure-Injected Peptide-Hyaluronic Acid Combination on Male Androgenic Alopecia

Introduction: Mechanism of male androgenic alopecia (MAGA) is complex and leads to an excessive hair shedding and decreased hair density. Oral, topical, and injectable autologous treatments demonstrate ability to stimulate hair re-growth, but the response is suboptimal or plateaus off. Synthetic combination of the peptide complex and hyaluronic acid (P-HA) demonstrated hair regrowth in alopecia patients. Electronically-operated pneumatic injections (EPI) generate micro-trauma in the dermis and under wound-healing conditions may enhance regeneration effect of P-HA. Methods: Subjects seeking improvement of their male pattern hair loss (Hamilton-Norwood type 2-4) received the P-HA treatments through EPI. The course included 4 treatments every two weeks over the 8-week period. In 6 months, the hair growth was assessed comparative to baseline by global clinical photography and digital phototrichograms. The treatment safety and tolerability were documented through the whole study period. Results: Twelve men (30-45 years old) completed the treatment course with high tolerability and without adverse events. Post-treatment assessment of the previously bald areas showed improved coverage on the clinical photographs. The phototrichograms demonstrated statistically significant increase in terminal hair density by 36%, cumulative hair thickness by 37%, and follicular units by 20%;all contributing to a 38% increase in cumulated hair density (all p Conclusion: Electronic pneumatic injections are well tolerated and can be safely used for the needle-free administration of the peptide-hyaluronic acid combination in MAGA therapy. We achieved significant hair re-densification in the balding scalp. The exact role of the EPI-induced impact in the hair re-growth mechanism remains to be ascertained. .

The Pathogenesis and Treatment Progress of Androgenic Alopecia

Androgenic alopecia, also known as seborrheic alopecia, is the most common hair loss disorder in dermatology clinics, mainly characterized by hair follicle miniaturization and progressive hair loss. The etiology and pathogenesis of androgenic alopecia are not clear, but may be related to heredity and androgen metabolism. Currently, minoxidil and finasteride are the only two drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for AGA treatment, other treatments include oral minoxidil, hair transplantation, low energy laser therapy (LLLT), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), Chinese medicine microneedles, and combination therapy. With the development of medicine and science, we have ushered in the era of biologics and targeted therapy. In recent years, a variety of signaling pathways for androgenic alopecia have been found, which may provide a basis for targeted therapy for androgenic alopecia.

A Synonymous Polymorphism of APCDD1 Affects Translation Efficacy and is Associated with Androgenic Alopecia

The APCDDI （adenomatosis polyposis coli down-regulated 1） gene is an inhibitor of the Wnt signaling pathway, and a rare mutation of this gene has been associated with hereditary hypotrichosis simplex. In this study, the authors aimed to investigate whether common APCDD1 gene polymorphisms contribute to the development of androgenic alopecia. Patients （n = 210） with androgenic alopecia and 98 controls were investigated. SNPs （Single nucleotide polymorphisms） in the coding region of the gene were sequenced. A significant difference in genotype distribution was found for the c. 1781C/T, p.L476L SNP （rs3185480） of the APCDD1 gene. This SNP is located in exon 5 and is associated with a 3.5- and a 2.8-fold increase in risk for the development of androgenic alopecia for homozygote （CI 0.933-13.125; nominal regression P = 0.063） and heterozygote （CI 1.086-7.217; nominal regression P = 0.033） carriers, respectively. These data suggest that the rs3185480 polymorphism contributes to the development of androgenic alopecia. Protein expression experiments revealed that the polymorphism is associated with reduced APCDDI protein abundance. This reduction is likely due to altered codon usage for leucine from a preferred codon （CTC） to a rare codon （CTT）, which might influence translation efficiency and, thus, APCDDI protein level.

A combination therapy for androgenic alopecia based on quercetin and zinc/copper dual-doped mesoporous silica nanocomposite microneedle patch

A nanocomposite microneedle(ZCQ/MN)patch containing copper/zinc dual-doped mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with quercetin(ZCQ)was developed as a combination therapy for androgenic alopecia(AGA).The degradable microneedle gradually dissolves after penetration into the skin and releases the ZCQ nanoparticles.ZCQ nanoparticles release quercetin(Qu),copper(Cu^(2+))and zinc ions(Zn^(2+))subcutaneously to synergistically promote hair follicle regeneration.The mechanism of promoting hair follicle regeneration mainly includes the regulation of the main pathophysiological phenomena of AGA such as inhibition of dihydrotestosterone,inhibition of inflammation,promotion of angiogenesis and activation of hair follicle stem cells by the combination of Cu^(2+)and Zn^(2+)ions and Qu.This study demonstrates that the systematic intervention targeting different pathophysiological links of AGA by the combination of organic drug and bioactive metal ions is an effective treatment strategy for hair loss,which provides a theoretical basis for development of biomaterial based anti-hair loss therapy.

Characterization of distinct microbiota associated with androgenetic alopecia patients treated and untreated with platelet-rich plasma(PRP)

Background:Androgenic alopecia(AGA)is the most common type of hair loss in men,and there are many studies on the treatment of hair loss by platelet-rich plasma(PRP).The human scalp contains a huge microbiome,but its role in the process of hair loss remains unclear,and the relationship between PRP and the microbiome needs further study.Therefore,the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of PRP treatment on scalp microbiota composition.Methods:We performed PRP treatment on 14 patients with AGA,observed their clinical efficacy,and collected scalp swab samples before and after treatment.The scalp microflora of AGA patients before and after treatment was characterized by amplifying the V3-V4 region of the 16 s RNA gene and sequencing for bacterial identification.Results:The results showed that PRP was effective in the treatment of AGA patients,and the hair growth increased significantly.The results of relative abundance analysis of microbiota showed that after treatment,g_Cutibacterium increased and g_Staphylococcus decreased,which played a stable role in scalp microbiota.In addition,g_Lawsonella decreased,indicating that the scalp oil production decreased after treatment.Conclusions:The findings suggest that PRP may play a role in treating AGA through scalp microbiome rebalancing.

Clinical efficacy of catgut embedment combined with moxibustion and bloodletting in the treatment of androgenic alopecia

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of catgut embedment combined with moxibustion and bloodletting in the treatment of androgenic alopecia and to probe into its therapeutic mechanism. Methods Eighty-four patients with androgenic alopecia were divided into catgut embedment group （group A） and western medicine group （group B） on the basis of random number table and according to the order of treatment. For the pateints in group A, Shenguan （肾关） on both sides, Minghuang （明黄） and Zusanli （足三里 ST 36） were selected to receive catgut embedment therapy, once every month, combined with moxibustion on the lower abdomen and local bloodletting treatment. For the patients in group B, finasteride 1mg/d was orally administrated. The treatment period for two groups was 3 months, and the follow-up visit lasted for 3 months. Serum testosterone （T） and estradiol （E2） contents were detected respectively before treatment, after i month and 3 months of treatment and after 3 months of follow-up visit, and the specific values were calculated to make statistical analysis of T, E2, T/E2 and curative effects of the two groups after i month and 3 months of treatment and after 3 months of follow-up visit. Results There was no statistical significance in curative effect between the two groups after i month of treatment （P〉0.05）, and the curative effect in group A were better than that in group B after 3 months of treatment or after 3 months of follow-up visit （both P〈0.05）; E2 level in group A was lower than that in group A after 3 months of treatment （P〈0.05）; T, E2 and T/E2 in group A were all lower than that in group B after 3 month of follow-up visit （all P〈0.05）. Conclusion The curative effect of treating androgenic alopecia with catgut embedment, moxibustion and bloodletting is definite, and its mechanism of action may be related to the reduction of T levels and T/E2 values.

Efficacy and Safety of a Botanical Topical Serum on Male and Female Androgenetic Alopecia

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common form of hair loss in both men and women, it affects up to 80% of men and 50% of women during their life. The current treatments approved for AGA are limited, inconstantly effective and might be associated with adverse events. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a botanical topical serum (SERUM THICKER) applied for 6 months in 14 males and 10 females with mild to moderate androgenetic alopecia. The hair parameters were assessed using trichoscopy images obtained with high resolution camera FotoFinder Leviacam® and analyzed with optimized software from TrichoLABTM and Vitual tattooTM technology. Hair loss was assessed using a wash-test procedure, and self-assessments were collected via questionnaires. Both at 28 days and 168 days, a significant increase of the hair density was observed, respectively +4.8% (p = 0.038);+11.7% (p < 0.001) for 1 application per day and +5.2% (p = 0.032);+9% (p < 0.001) for 2 applications/week. Reported to the whole scalp, this represents an estimation of hair gain of 7000 hair in 6 months for subjects applying SERUM THICKER once a day and 5000 hair for subjects applying SERUM THICKER twice then once a week. Although, the analysis of hair shedding during washing did not permit to show a time effect or any effect of the application frequency, the analysis showed a marginal time effect in the group treated once a day (p = 0.0674). Regarding efficacy on hair loss and regrowth, although no statistical analysis were performed, it seems that for all questions and for both groups the positive answers were higher after 6 months of treatment than after 1 month. SERUM THICKER represents an interesting, effective, well-tolerated and safe multitarget treatment to address mild to moderate AGA in male and female. Efficacy was observed from one application per week and seems greater once applied once daily.

Bioinspired engineering ADSC nanovesicles thermosensitive hydrogel enhance autophagy of dermal papilla cells for androgenetic alopecia treatment

Androgenic alopecia(AGA)is a highly prevalent form of non-scarring alopecia but lacks effective treatments.Stem cell exosomes have similar repair effects to stem cells,suffer from the drawbacks of high cost and low yield yet.Cell-derived nanovesicles acquired through mechanical extrusion exhibit favorable biomimetic properties similar to exosomes,enabling them to efficiently encapsulate substantial quantities of therapeutic proteins.In this study,we observed that JAM-A,an adhesion protein,resulted in a significantly increased the adhesion and resilience of dermal papilla cells to form snap structures against damage caused by dihydrotestosterone and macrophages,thereby facilitating the process of hair regrowth in cases of AGA.Consequently,adipose-derived stem cells were modified to overexpress JAM-A to produce engineered JAM-A overexpressing nanovesicles(JAM-A^(OE)@NV).The incorporation of JAM-A^(OE)@NV into a thermosensitive hydrogel matrix(JAM-A^(OE)@NV Gel)to effectively addresses the limitations associated with the short half-life of JAM-A^(OE)@NV,and resulted in the achievement of a sustained-release profile for JAM-A^(OE)@NV.The physicochemical characteristics of the JAM-A^(OE)@NV Gel were analyzed and assessed for its efficacy in promoting hair regrowth in vivo and vitro.The JAM-A^(OE)@NV Gel,thus,presents a novel therapeutic approach and theoretical framework for promoting the treatment of low cell adhesion diseases similar to AGA.

The Effect of A100 Gel, on Hair Growth and Hair Quality: An Explanatory Study

Male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia is a great problem for many individuals’ especially young people. A100 is composed of two active ingredients, a pollen extract and pentane-1,5-diol. The pollen extract provides a source of natural nutrients and pentane-1,5-diol acts as a solvent to unplug the hair follicle as well as acts as an enhancer for uptake of nutrients. Other components are claimed to increase blood flow to the hair papilla. A100 has been effective in earlier studies. The aim of this open explanatory study was to investigate the effect of 4 months twice daily application with this commercial pollen gel, A100, in subjects with male androgenic alopecia. Twenty male subjects, between 18 and 40 years with androgenic alopecia were included. A100 gel was applied to the area of the scalp with poor hair growth twice daily for 4 months. The subjects were seen at the start of treatment and then every month. Sixteen subjects fulfilled the whole 4 months of treatment and 2 fulfilled 3 months of treatment. A statistically significant increase in number of hairs was seen after 4 months of treatment with A100 (p < 0.001). This effect was seen for all types of hair. Fifty-six percent of the 16 subjects who fulfilled the 4 months treatment had an increase in hair growth of more than 50%, and 31% had an increase over 100%. No side effects were seen and the subjects found A100 gel a cosmetically attractive treatment. A100 was in this explanatory study an effective and safe treatment for androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness.

Clinical Application of Platelet-Rich Fibrin in Dermatology

Platelet-rich fibrin(PRF)is a second-generation platelet concentrate obtained from autologous blood.PRF is composed of abundant platelets,leucocytes,and a high concentration of various growth factors and fibrinogen.The composition and three-dimensional structure of PRF enable it to effectively make cells migrate and proliferate,playing an important role in tissue repair.Furthermore,the easy preparation and low cost of PRF make it a good treatment option.Numerous articles have been published about the application of PRF in clinical practice,however,the application of PRF in dermatology has not been comprehensively reviewed.The objective of this review article was to discuss various applications of PRF in dermatology,including healing chronic wounds,treating androgenic alopecia,skin rejuvenation,autologous fat transplantation,and treating vitiligo.PRF is a promising dermatologic treatment,but lacks a standardized protocol regarding its methods of attainment and use,which needs more investigations.