Br J Dermatol 1997 Nov;137(5):699-702
A controlled study of the effects of RU58841, a non-steroidal antiandrogen,
on human hair production by balding scalp grafts maintained on testosterone-conditioned
nude mice.
De Brouwer B, Tetelin C, Leroy T, Bonfils A, Van Neste D.
Skin Study Centre, Tournai, Belgium, France.
Human hair growth can be monitored
for several months after the transplantation of scalp samples from men with
androgen-dependent alopecia on to female nude mice. Hair production from balding
sites has been shown to be inhibited in testosterone-conditioned nude mice.
We used this recently reported model to study the effect of a new non-steroidal
antiandrogen-RU58841-on human hair growth. Twenty productive scalp grafts from
balding men were maintained for 8 months after grafting on to nude mice, and
hair production was monitored monthly for 6 months. All mice were conditioned
by the topical application of testosterone (testosterone propionate, 300 micrograms
in 10 microL; 5 days/week) on the non-grafted flank. The scalp samples were
divided equally according to the estimated hair production potential, which
was based on the amount of hair present on the scalp samples before grafting.
Each of the two equal groups of grafts was further allocated at random to be
treated topically (5 days/week) with blinded solutions of either RU58841 1%
in ethanol, or ethanol as a control. Twenty-eight active follicles appeared
on the 10 control grafts. Among them only two follicles (7%) initiated a second
hair cycle. However, the 10 RU58841-treated grafts bore a total of 29 active
follicles, and eight of them (28%) showed a second cycle. The values for the
linear hair growth rates (LHGR) were significantly (P < 0.04) higher in the
RU58841-treated group. Recycling and increased LHGR indicate a positive action
for RU58841 on human hair growth from balding samples grafted on to testosterone-conditioned
nude mice, and encourage a clinical trial to evaluate its potential in the treatment
of androgen-dependent alopecia.