Science, Technology, And Society, Elective High School Course

The study investigated primary cicatricial alopecia (PCA), a condition causing permanent hair loss, and found that the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway was impaired in PCA patients' skin and hair follicles. Experiments showed that inhibiting cholesterol synthesis or using cholesterol precursors like 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) triggered pro-inflammatory responses and inhibited hair growth in mice. This inflammation involved toll-like receptor (TLR) and interferon (IFN) gene expression and macrophage recruitment, leading to hair follicle destruction. The findings suggested a novel role for cholesterol precursors in PCA pathogenesis, linking sterols to inflammation, which could impact future diagnosis and treatment strategies.