Tretinoin Enhances Minoxidil Response in Androgenetic Alopecia Patients by Upregulating Follicular Sulfotransferase Enzymes

The study found that topical tretinoin can enhance the response to minoxidil in patients with androgenetic alopecia by upregulating follicular sulfotransferase enzymes. The study involved 20 subjects and measured the Minoxidil Response Test (MRT) before and after 5-day application of 0.1% tretinoin. The results showed that tretinoin increased the predicted minoxidil response in most of the subjects, including 43% of non-responders. This suggests that tretinoin could be used as an adjuvant therapy to increase the efficacy of topical minoxidil for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia.