Individual Variation in Balance Between Platelet-Secreted Growth Factors Causing Contradictory Effects on Hair Follicle Could Potentially Impact Response to PRP Therapy in Patients With Scalp Hair Loss

The study examined the variability in patient responses to platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy for scalp hair loss, attributing it to individual differences in the secretion of growth factors (GFs) by platelets. PRP therapy, which involves injecting GFs to stimulate hair growth, has shown inconsistent results in clinical trials. By analyzing PRP samples from patients using quantitative PCR, the study found significant variability in the expression levels of GFs, particularly transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFB1), which may inhibit hair growth, and platelet-derived growth factor A (PDGF-A) and B (PDGF-B), which may promote it. The study suggests that the effectiveness of PRP therapy could be influenced by the balance of these GFs, with a high TGFB1 to PDGF-BB ratio potentially being detrimental.