The Comparative Potency of Hydrocortisone Analogs in Suppressing Hair Growth in Rats
December 1958
in “
Journal of Investigative Dermatology
”
Studysummary 9α-21-difluoro-21-desoxyhydrocortisone is the most effective at stopping hair growth in rats. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The study investigates the potency of various hydrocortisone analogs in inhibiting hair growth in rats. The research involved applying different steroid compounds to the skin of adult male Long-Evans rats and observing hair growth inhibition over 7 weeks. The results showed that 9α-21-difluoro-21-desoxyhydrocortisone was the most potent, being 3.7 times more effective than hydrocortisone, with all treated rats showing inhibition. Other compounds like 1-hydrocortisone and 9α-fluorohydrocortisone also demonstrated significant potency. The study highlights the role of fluorination in enhancing the activity of these steroids, suggesting that the mechanism of hair growth inhibition may involve protein metabolism.
