Dihydrotestosterone-Induced Hair Regrowth Inhibition by Activating Androgen Receptor in C57BL6 Mice Simulates Androgenetic Alopecia

January 2021 in “ Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy ”

Danlan Fu, Junfei Huang, Kaitao Li, Yuxin Chen, Ye He, Yang-Kook Sun, Yilong Guo, Lijuan Du, Qian Qu, Yong Miao, Zhiqi Hu

dihydrotestosterone DHT androgen receptor androgenetic alopecia AGA bicalutamide hair follicles

Studysummary This study found that dihydrotestosterone induced hair loss and changes in hair morphology in male C57BL/6 mice, effects that could be partially reversed by the AR antagonist bicalutamide. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

This study found that dihydrotestosterone (DHT) inhibits hair regrowth in mice by activating the androgen receptor, which is similar to androgenetic alopecia (AGA) in humans. The study suggests that targeting the androgen receptor could be a potential treatment for AGA. The study also developed a mouse model that mimics human AGA. The drug bicalutamide partially reverses the effect of DHT. The study found that DHT can cause hair loss in mice by activating androgen receptors in hair follicles, inhibiting hair regrowth.

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