Animal Models of Androgen-Dependent Disorders of the Pilosebaceous Apparatus

In 1989, researchers studied the AGA mouse as a model for male-pattern baldness, finding that testosterone (T) injections caused hair loss by affecting the hair growth cycle, with dihydrotestosterone (DHT) being more potent. Topical cyproterone acetate at 5% concentration and a diet with 0.01% minoxidil were effective in delaying or inhibiting T-induced hair loss in these mice. The study demonstrated that the AGA mouse is a suitable model for testing potential baldness treatments due to its similarity to human AGA, with topical minoxidil at 5% showing a 60% inhibition of hair loss after 12 weeks (p < 0.03). The study also noted that the incidence of spontaneous alopecia in AGA mice is low without T treatment, that alopecia severity is age-dependent, and that other hypertrichosis-inducing drugs like diazoxide can inhibit T-induced hair loss, while some others are ineffective.