Am J Pathol. 2003 Mar;162(3):803-14.

Title: Stress inhibits hair growth in mice by induction of premature catagen development and deleterious perifollicular inflammatory events via neuropeptide substance P-dependent pathways.

Arck PC, et al

Department of Internal Medicine, Charite School of Medicine, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.

Comment in:

Am J Pathol. 2003 Mar;162(3):709-12.

Abstract

It has been much disputed whether or not stress can cause hair loss (telogen effluvium) in a clinically relevant manner. Despite the paramount psychosocial importance of hair in human society, this central, yet enigmatic and controversial problem of clinically applied stress research has not been systematically studied in appropriate animal models. We now show that psychoemotional stress indeed alters actual hair follicle (HF) cycling in vivo, ie, prematurely terminates the normal duration of active hair growth (anagen) in mice. Further, inflammatory events deleterious to the HF are present in the HF environment of stressed mice (perifollicular macrophage cluster, excessive mast cell activation). This provides the first solid pathophysiological mechanism for how stress may actually cause telogen effluvium, ie, by hair cycle manipulation and neuroimmunological events that combine to terminate anagen. Furthermore, we show that most of these hair growth-inhibitory effects of stress can be reproduced by the proteotypic stress-related neuropeptide substance P in nonstressed mice, and can be counteracted effectively by co-administration of a specific substance P receptor antagonist in stressed mice. This offers the first convincing rationale how stress-induced hair loss in men may be pharmacologically managed effectively.

Modeifeid for hair loss treatment blog.

Tsitologiia. 2010;52(3):204-10.

[Reparative regeneration of rat skin under influence of hollow cathode lamp (HCL) with manganese and copper line spectrum emission]

Mel’nikova VI, Izvol’skaia MS, Voronova SN, Sharipova MM, Rukin EM, Zakharova LA.

Abstract
Influence of local light exposure by hollow cathode lamp with typical manganese and copper (HCL-Mn, Cu) line emission spectrum on posttraumatic regeneration rate of rat skin has been investigated. We performed the comparative analysis of the morphology and the differentiation ability of rat skin on the 15th and 24th days after full-thickness skin wound had been inflicted on rat dorsums. On the 15th day after injury, the experimental group (daily 30 s exposure for two weeks) showed scab loss, re-epithelialization, and hair regrowth, in contrast to the control rats, where scabs were still observed on the 24th day. Histological analysis revealed that in contrast to the control group the treatment with HCL-Mn, Cu resulted in the increased number of hair follicles and sebaceous glands, the decreased number of blood vessels and horizontal orientation of collagen fibers. The immunohistochemistry for OX-62 revealed that the number of dermal dendritic cells in the experimental groups was maximal on the 15th day, and then decreased to the 24th day after injury. The number of dermal dendritic cells was significantly lower in the control group. The immunohistochemistry for pan-keratins in the control animals revealed a high number of cells expressing different types of keratins, distributed in the main part of the epidermis on the 15th day after surgery, whereas in the experimental group the number of such cells was significantly lower and the cells were concentrated more close to the external part of the epidermis. The number of cells stained for keratin 19 was higher in the experimental group on the 15th day after surgery, whereas this number decreased in this group on the 24th day after surgery as compared to the control group. Thus, typical manganese and copper line spectrum emission emitted by hollow cathode lamp stimulates innate immunity, accelerates restoration of derma, skin epithelium and other skin derivates, and stimulates wound healing in general.

Hair regrowth and hair loss treatment

The therapeutic effect and the changed serum zinc level after zinc supplementation in alopecia areata patients who had a low serum zinc level.
Park H, Kim CW, Kim SS, Park CW.

Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract
BACKGROUND: It has been reported that some alopecia areata patients have zinc deficiency. There have also been several reports published concerning oral zinc sulfate therapy, with encouraging results, in some alopecia areata patients.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of oral zinc supplementation for twelve weeks in alopecia areata patients who had a low serum zinc level.

METHODS: Oral zinc gluconate (50 mg/T/day) supplementation was given to alopecia areata patients without any other treatment for twelve weeks. The serum zinc level was measured before and after zinc supplementation. A four-point scale of hair regrowth was used to evaluate the therapeutic effect of oral zinc supplementation in these patients.

RESULTS: Fifteen alopecia areata patients were enrolled in this study. After the therapy, the serum zinc levels increased significantly from 56.9 microg/ to 84.5 microg/dl. Positive therapeutic effects were observed for 9 out of 15 patients (66.7%) although this was not statistically significant. The serum zinc levels of the positive response group increased more than those of the negative response group (p=0.003).

CONCLUSION: Zinc supplementation needs to be given to the alopecia areata patients who have a low serum zinc level. We suggest that zinc supplementation could become an adjuvant therapy for the alopecia areata patients with a low serum zinc level and for whom the traditional therapeutic methods have been unsuccessful.

Bilateral treatment for hair loss due to alopecia areata.
Torchia D, Schachner LA.

Department of Dermatology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33125, USA.

Abstract
A 4-year-old, otherwise healthy white girl was referred for a 15-month history of hair loss due to alopecia areata. Anthralin 0.1% cream was prescribed for the left side of the scalp, while corticosteroids for the right side. After 4 months, only the right side of the scalp showed hair regrowth. Half-side strategy, that is, treating one side and managing the other–divided by the mid sagittal suture–as an internal control for no treatment, placebo or other treatment, has been commonly used in clinical studies for decades. In everyday practice, bilateral treatment is useful to evaluate the responsiveness to two topically delivered interventions and diminishes the time necessary to identify an effective one.

Modified for hair loss treatment blog.

Copyright © 2010 Mario Cezar Pires et al.
Vitiligo after Diphencyprone for Alopecia Areata

Abstract

The topical immunotherapy is used to treat hair loss due to alopecia areata and recalcitrant warts since the 1970s. Diphencyprone is a contact sensitizer used to treat dermatological conditions resulting from as altered immunological state, such as extensive alopecia areata, being partially effective and safe. Side effects include local eczema with blistering, regional lymphadenopathy and contact urticaria. Rare adverse effects include an erythema multiforme-like reaction, hyperpigmenttion, hypopigmentation, and vitiligo. We report a 30-year-old, Brazilian male who developed vitiligo lesions following DPCP treatment for hair loss in alopecia areata.

edited for hair loss blog.

hair regrowth hair loss treatment

Hair follicle neogenesis induced by cultured human scalp dermal papilla cells.
Qiao J,-et al

AIM: To develop a method by which human hair follicle dermal papilla (DP) cells can be expanded in vitro while preserving their hair-regrowth potential for use in follicular cell implantation, a cellular therapy for the treatment of hair loss. DP cells were isolated from scalp hair follicles in biopsies from human donors. DP cell cultures were established under conditions that preserved their hair-inductive potential and allowed for significant expansion. The hair-inductive potential of cells cultured for approximately 36 doublings was tested in an in vivo flap-graft model. In some experiments, DiI was used to label cells prior to grafting. RESULTS: Under the culture conditions developed, cultures established from numerous donors reproducibly resulted in an expansion that averaged approximately five population doublings per passage. Furthermore, the cells consistently induced hair formation in an in vivo graft assay. Grafted DP cells appeared in DP structures of newly formed hairs, as well as in the dermal sheath and in the dermis surrounding follicles. Induced hair follicles persisted and regrew after being plucked 11 months after grafting. A process for the propagation of human DP cells has been developed that provides significant expansion of cells and maintenance of their hair-regrowth inductive capability, overcoming a major technical obstacle in the development of follicular cell implantation as a treatment for hair loss.

redox signaling is an important component of hair regrowth induction.

Chemotherapy-induced hair loss.
Jimenez JJ,.et al

edited

Hair loss is experienced by thousands of cancer patients every year. Anthracyclines, taxanes, alkylating compounds such as cyclophosphamide and the topisomerase inhibitor etoposide induce substantial-to-severe hairloss. These agents are widely used in the treatment of leukemias and breast, lung, ovarian, and bladder cancers. Currently, no treatment appears to be generally effective in reliably preventing this secondary effect of chemotherapy. We observed in experiments using different rodent models that localized administration of heat or injection of geldanamycin or 17-(allylamino)-17-demethoxygeldanamycin induced a stress protein response in hair follicles and effectively prevented hair loss from adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, taxol, and etoposide. Model tumor therapy experiments support the presumption that such localized hair-loss preventing treatment does not negatively affect chemotherapy efficacy.