Stimulation of Elastin Expression by Minoxidil in Chick Skin Fibroblasts

Minoxidil, a drug used for alopecia, was found to stimulate elastin synthesis in chick skin fibroblasts in a dose-dependent manner. This effect was accompanied by an increase in elastin mRNA level, indicating that minoxidil could be a potent stimulator of elastin and could be useful for skin diseases with abnormal elastin metabolism. The study suggests that the stimulation of elastin expression by minoxidil in skin fibroblasts was controlled at the elastin mRNA level and was not related to the suppressive effect on cell proliferation.