Male Pattern Hair Loss: Can Developmental Origins Explain the Pattern?

The study on male pattern hair loss (MPHL) suggests that the localized miniaturization of hair follicles in the frontal and parietal regions of the scalp may be due to their developmental origins. Frontal scalp follicles, which are more sensitive to androgens like dihydrotestosterone (DHT), show higher expression of androgen receptors (AR) and 5α-reductase compared to occipital follicles. This difference is potentially rooted in the fact that frontal scalp fibroblasts and bones derive from neural crest cells, while occipital regions are mesoderm-derived. The authors propose that future research using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and direct reprogramming of fibroblasts could further elucidate these developmental differences and their impact on androgen sensitivity, emphasizing the need to specify scalp location in hair follicle research.