P33 Quantification of Metabolic Pathways in Human Hair Follicles and Their Response to Caffeine and N,N-Dimethylglycine

January 2026 in “ British Journal of Dermatology ”

Chloe Farren, Adrian Biddle, Jörn Michael Völker, Erik Schulze zur Wiesche, Mike L. Philpott, Rosalind Hannen

caffeine N,N-dimethylglycine dermal papilla cells androgenetic alopecia lactate dehydrogenase Ca²+ influx metabolomic studies DMG AGA

TLDR Caffeine and DMG increase calcium influx in hair follicle cells without being toxic.

The study investigates the effects of caffeine and N,N-dimethylglycine (DMG) on the metabolism of immortalized balding (IB) and nonbalding (IN) dermal papilla cells (DPCs) related to androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Both treatments did not cause toxicity or alter cell viability, as shown by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and cell viability assays. Caffeine (5 µmol L−1) and DMG (30 µmol L−1) significantly increased Ca²+ influx, indicating responsiveness in both IB and IN DPCs. The study suggests that caffeine and DMG can stimulate Ca²+ influx without cytotoxic effects, and further metabolomic studies are planned to explore their impact on DPC metabolism.

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