Interaction Between Dermal Papilla Cells and Follicular Epithelial Cells In Vitro: Effect of Androgen
TLDR Testosterone increases hair follicle cell growth when beard or axillary skin cells are present together.
The study investigated the effect of testosterone on human hair follicles by examining the presence of androgen receptors and the impact of testosterone on cell proliferation. Androgen receptors were found in the dermal papilla cells of beard and axillary hair, but not in occipital scalp hair follicles. Testosterone did not stimulate proliferation in dermal papilla cells or outer root sheath cells when cultured separately. However, when outer root sheath cells were co-cultured with beard or axillary dermal papilla cells, testosterone significantly stimulated their proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner, an effect that was blocked by cyproterone acetate. This suggests that dermal papilla cells from beard and axillary regions produce androgen-dependent growth factors that stimulate follicular epithelial cells.
