Effect of 5α-Dihydrotestosterone and Testosterone on Apoptosis in Human Dermal Papilla Cells

The 2006 study explored how testosterone (T) and 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT) affect apoptosis in human dermal papilla cells (DPC) from nonbalding scalp regions, which are important for hair growth. The study found that high concentrations of T and 5α-DHT can induce apoptosis in DPC by decreasing bcl-2 protein expression and increasing the bax/bcl-2 ratio, as well as activating caspase-8. These findings suggest that androgens may play a role in hair follicle miniaturization seen in androgenetic alopecia (AGA) by promoting cell death in DPC. The study did not specify the number of participants from whom DPC were obtained, but it involved nine independent experiments on each specimen from five patients. It is important to note that the androgen concentrations used were nonphysiological and the cells were from nonbalding areas, which may respond differently than cells from balding areas. The research was funded by L'Oréal France and included acknowledgments for technical and manuscript assistance.