title: The effect of CD34+ cell-containing autologous platelet-rich plasma injection on pattern hair loss: a preliminary study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mobilized CD34+ cells in peripheral blood have angiogenic potential, which is an important factor in active hair growth. In addition, activated autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been reported to induce the proliferation of dermal papilla cells.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the clinical efficacy of interfollicular injection of CD34+ cell-containing PRP preparation for pattern hair loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  CD34+ cell-containing PRP preparation was injected on the scalps of 13 patients with pattern hair loss, and 13 patients were treated with interfollicular placental extract injection as a control. The numbers of platelets in PRP were microscopically counted and CD34+ cells were evaluated with flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three months after the first treatment, the patients presented clinical improvement in the mean number of hairs, 20.5 ± 17.0% (P < 0.0001), mean hair thickness, 31.3 ± 30.1% (P < 0.0001), and mean two-point score, 84.4 ± 51.7% (P < 0.0001) compared with baseline values. At 6 months, the patients presented clinical improvement in mean hair count, 29.2 ± 17.8% (P < 0.0001), mean hair thickness, 46.4 ± 37.5% (P < 0.0001), and mean two-point score, 121.3 ± 66.8% (P < 0.0001) compared with baseline. The MIXED procedure revealed that CD34+ cell-containing PRP treatment presented a higher degree of improvement than placental extract treatment in hair thickness (P = 0.027) and overall clinical improvement (P = 0.023).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that the interfollicular injection of autologous CD34+ cell-containing PRP preparation has a positive therapeutic effect on male and female pattern hair loss without remarkable major side-effects.
authors.affiliation: Kangskin ClinicDepartment of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: J-S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: S-H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: D-Y
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000505:Alopecia / Q000628:therapy*; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053657:Platelet-Rich Plasma
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34