Rooster feathering, androgenic alopecia, and hormone-dependent tumor growth: What is in common?
December 2004
in “Differentiation”
TLDR Sex hormones affect hair and feather growth and may help manage alopecia and hormone-dependent cancers.
The 2004 review explores the connection between sex hormones and the development of various epithelial organs, including the growth of hair and feathers, and the progression of hormone-dependent tumors. It highlights the impact of sex hormones on conditions like androgenic alopecia, which affects a significant portion of the population (50% of males by age 50 and 30-40% of females over 70), and proposes the use of chicken tail feather growth as an in vivo model to study these effects. The review presents pilot data indicating that male chickens have longer and thicker tail feathers due to a longer growth period and a higher concentration of proliferating cells, likely influenced by hormonal stimulation. The document also discusses the role of androgen receptors, the Wnt-ß-catenin signaling pathway, and the BMP pathway in these processes. Understanding these hormone-regulated mechanisms is crucial for managing conditions like alopecia and hormone-dependent cancers. However, the number of chickens used in the study is not specified.
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