Assessment of Nitric Oxide Synthase Protein Level in the Scalp of Androgenetic Alopecia

The study assessed nitric oxide synthase protein levels in the scalps of 40 men, divided into two groups: 20 with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and 20 healthy controls. Results showed significantly higher nitric oxide synthase expression in the androgenetic sites of AGA patients compared to non-androgenetic sites and to androgenetic sites in controls. A cut-off point of 4.39 for nitric oxide synthase demonstrated excellent discriminative power with 100% sensitivity. Patients with hypertension on antihypertensive therapy exhibited higher nitric oxide synthase levels. No significant correlations were found between nitric oxide synthase levels and age, disease duration, smoking, surgical history, or Hamilton scale grades. The study suggests that nitric oxide plays a role in regulating hair follicle activity through basal and androgen-mediated production.