The Role of Dexamethasone in Mediating the Contradictory Effects of Wnt Antagonists SFRP2 and SFRP3 on Human Hair Follicle Growth

This study investigates the effects of dexamethasone (DEX) on the expression of Wnt antagonists SFRP2 and SFRP3 in human dermal papilla (DP) cells, which are crucial for hair follicle growth. DEX was found to downregulate SFRP2, which promotes hair keratinocyte proliferation, and upregulate SFRP3, which inhibits it, in a dose- and time-dependent manner. These effects are mediated by glucocorticoid receptors (GRs). The study used human ex vivo organ culture and various assays to measure hair length, cell proliferation, and apoptosis, confirming that SFRP2 increased hair length and cell proliferation, while SFRP3 decreased hair length and increased apoptosis. Understanding these mechanisms could lead to new therapeutic targets for treating androgenetic alopecia (AGA).