Effects of Finasteride on Apoptosis and Regulation of the Human Hair Cycle

This study from 21 years ago investigated the effects of finasteride on apoptosis and regulation of the human hair cycle. The researchers found that finasteride appears to influence the expression of caspases and XIAP in the hair follicle, and thus may be useful in antiapoptotic strategies for successful treatment of hair diseases. The study suggests that caspase-3 plays an important role in signaling various stages of the hair cycle, and that a 6-month treatment with finasteride dramatically reduced caspase immunoreactivity and increased XIAP immunostaining to resemble the normal pattern. However, further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms behind these effects.