Effect of Serenoa Repens Extract on Human Primary Hair Dermal Papilla Cells from Male and Female Donors

The study investigated the effects of a Serenoa Repens Extract (SRE) on human hair dermal papilla cells (HHDPC) from a male and a female donor. For the male donor, high concentrations of SRE (100-1000 μg/mL) inhibited cell viability, but lower concentrations (10 and 20 μg/mL) increased cell proliferation by 24% and 28%, respectively, after 72 hours, similar to the effect of Epidermal Growth Factor. For the female donor, SRE at 20 μg/mL slightly increased cell viability and significantly boosted proliferation by 54% after 72 hours. However, no proliferation increase was observed at 120 hours. The study concludes that SRE has potential as a treatment for alopecia in both genders, though further research is needed to understand its mechanism of action.