Flow Cytometric Analysis of Cell Cycle Kinetics of Anagen Scalp Hair Correlated with Plasma Androgens in Hirsutism

The study analyzed cell cycle kinetics of anagen scalp hair bulbs in 13 hirsute and 10 healthy females using DNA-flow cytometry. It found that hirsute females had a significant increase in S-phase cells (10.2%) and a decrease in G0/1-phase cells (80.7%) compared to healthy females (S-phase 7.5%, G0/1 phase 86%). A strong correlation was observed between S-phase percentages and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels in hirsute females, suggesting that DHEA-S, a weak androgen, influenced the growth kinetics of hair bulbs in androgen-sensitive scalp areas. No correlation was found between testosterone levels and cell cycle data.