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Abstract #27827 Published in IGR 13-1
Prostaglandin F(2)(alpha) stimulates human hair follicles via receptors located within the follicle itself
Khidhir KG; Farjo NP; Woodward DF; Picksley SM; Randall VABritish Journal of Dermatology 2010; 162: 916
Prostaglandin F(2(alpha)) (PGF(2(alpha))) analogues stimulate eyelash growth when used to treat glaucoma (ocular hypertension) (Curran MP. Bimatoprost: a review of its use in open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension. Drugs Aging 2009; 26:1049-71). Latisse, a bimatoprost solution, recently gained U.S. FDA approval for eyelash stimulation. How PGF(2(alpha)) works is unknown; possibilities include direct action on hair follicles or stimulating follicular blood flow. To determine whether scalp hair follicles can respond directly to PGF(2(alpha)) and to check whether the effect is through receptors located in the follicle, scalp follicles were cultured with various concentrations of PGF(2(alpha)) and PGF(2(alpha)) plus the PGF(2(alpha)) receptor (FP) antagonist and the gene expression of FP investigated using molecular biological methods. Scalp skin from non-balding areas was obtained from 15 healthy individuals undergoing cosmetic surgery, with appropriate approval. Hair follicles were individually micro-dissected and cultured for 9 days with daily examination, photography and measurement or pooled for each person for RT-PCR using primers newly designed from the human FP gene and control b-actin primers to ensure cDNA quality. PGF(2(alpha)) (10 nmol (L-1), 100 nmol (L-1), 1 (mu)mol (L-1)) significantly stimulated hair follicle growth rate, the percentage of growing follicles, and the overall amount of hair produced (n = 5; P < 0 01). FP antagonist (AS604872; 1 (mu)mol (L-1)) blocked the stimulatory effects of 100 nmol (L-1) PGF(2(alpha)) on all three parameters (n = 5; P < 0 01). RT-PCR identified FP gene expression in five different follicle samples; sequencing confirmed gene identity. Thus, human hair follicles respond biologically in a dose-responsive manner to PGF(2(alpha)) in vitro, an effect blocked by an FP antagonist. This indication that PGF(2(alpha)) acts via receptors within isolated follicles is strongly supported by the gene expression of its receptor, FP. Therefore, PGF(2(alpha)) may play a role in normal human hair growth and drugs related to PGF(2(alpha)) may offer novel future treatments for hair loss.
V.A. Randall. Centre for Skin Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, United Kingdom. V.A.Randall@bradford.ac.uk
Classification:
11.4 Prostaglandins (Part of: 11 Medical treatment)
