Differential Expression of mTOR Signaling Pathway Proteins in Lichen Planopilaris and Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

The study examined the mTOR signaling pathway in hair follicles of 8 Lichen Planopilaris (LPP) and 5 Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA) patients, comparing their lesional and non-lesional scalp biopsies to control biopsies from patients with sebaceous cysts. The researchers used immunohistochemical evaluation and Western blot analysis to measure the expression of mTOR and related proteins. They found that mTOR pathway proteins had similar expression in control and non-lesional patient scalps, but in lesional patient scalps, there was a decrease in the expression of p-mTOR, p-p70S6K, p-4EBP1, and p-tuberin in the interfollicular epidermis, with alterations in their expression in different parts of the hair follicle. The study concluded that the expression of mTOR signaling pathway proteins is altered in the hair follicles of LPP and FFA patients, which may play a role in the pathogenesis of these diseases, highlighting the need for further research to understand the mechanism of mTOR in these conditions.