The Effect of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 on Cultured Human Hair Follicle Cells from a Patient with Vitamin D-Dependent Rickets Type II with Alopecia

The study investigated the effects of 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 on cultured human hair follicle cells from a patient with vitamin D-dependent rickets type II (DDR-II) with alopecia. It was found that while normal hair follicle cells showed inhibited growth and stimulated differentiation in response to the hormone, cells from the DDR-II patient with alopecia did not respond, indicating a lack of specific receptors. This difference in response could aid in the rapid diagnosis of DDR-II. Due to the difficulty in obtaining a large number of hairs from patients with alopecia, a new culture method was developed, which could be useful for culturing hair follicle cells from limited samples.