Meloside A Protects Dermal Papilla Cells from DHT-Induced Damage via Androgen Receptor Modulation

June 2025 in “ Current Issues in Molecular Biology ”

Hyun Jun Park, Bong Geun Song, Ji Hoon Song, Seung Hee Park, D. H. Wang, HB Kwon, Ji‐Ean Lee

Meloside A Cucumis melo var. makuwa dermal papilla cells dihydrotestosterone DHT androgenetic alopecia AGA androgen receptor AR IL-6 TGF-β1 DKK-1 reactive oxygen species minoxidil finasteride HDPCs Propecia Rogaine

From the encyclopedia

Minoxidil →

An essential vasodilator with some anti-androgenic effects

Finasteride →

Frontline, gold standard treatment for combatting androgenic alopecia

Studysummary In this laboratory study, Cucumis melo var. makuwa leaf extract significantly reduced DHT-induced apoptosis in human dermal papilla cells by modulating androgen receptor activity and gene expression, suggesting potential as a therapy for androgenetic alopecia.

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The study explores the effects of Meloside A, derived from Cucumis melo var. makuwa leaf extract, on human dermal papilla cells (HDPCs) affected by dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a key factor in androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Meloside A significantly reduced DHT-induced apoptosis in HDPCs by 57.74% at 1000 ppm and inhibited androgen receptor (AR) nuclear translocation and protein expression. It also decreased the expression of genes like IL-6, TGF-β1, and DKK-1, associated with AGA, and reduced reactive oxygen species generation by 45.45% at 100 ppm. These results suggest that Meloside A could be a promising therapeutic agent for AGA by modulating AR activity and gene expression, offering a potential alternative to treatments like minoxidil and finasteride. However, the findings are based on in vitro models, and further research is needed to confirm its efficacy in more complex systems.

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