Variability in Secretion of Growth Factors by Platelets Is Intrinsic to Alopecia Patients Undergoing Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy

The study "Variability in secretion of growth factors by platelets is intrinsic to alopecia patients undergoing platelet-rich plasma therapy" conducted by JA Shaik, N Estharabadi, R Farah and MK Hordinsky in 2020, analyzed the variation in expression and secretion of growth factors (GFs) by platelets in patients undergoing platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy for hair loss. The researchers used de-identified PRP samples from subjects undergoing therapy for alopecia over a nine-month period. They found that the expression and secretion of all GFs by platelets were highly variable between patients. The study also found no significant difference in platelet GF secretion when comparing PRP samples from non-cicatricial and cicatricial alopecia patients. The researchers concluded that platelets from each patient secrete inconsistent levels of GFs, which could potentially result in not only predicting clinical outcome but also understanding the basic mechanism by which PRP promotes hair growth in alopecia.