title: Identification of a new plant extract for androgenic alopecia treatment using a non-radioactive human hair dermal papilla cell-based assay.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is a major type of human scalp hair loss, which is caused by two androgens: testosterone (T) and 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT). Both androgens bind to the androgen receptor (AR) and induce androgen-sensitive genes within the human hair dermal papilla cells (HHDPCs), but 5α-DHT exhibits much higher binding affinity and potency than T does in inducing the involved androgen-sensitive genes. Changes in the induction of androgen-sensitive genes during AGA are caused by the over-production of 5α-DHT by the 5α-reductase (5α-R) enzyme; therefore, one possible method to treat AGA is to inhibit this enzymatic reaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  RT-PCR was used to identify the presence of the 5α-R and AR within HHDPCs. A newly developed AGA-relevant HHDPC-based assay combined with non-radioactive thin layer chromatography (TLC) detection was used for screening crude plant extracts for the identification of new 5α-R inhibitors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HHDPCs expressed both 5α-R type 1 isoform of the enzyme (5α-R1) and AR in all of the passages used in this study. Among the thirty tested extracts, Avicennia marina (AM) displayed the highest inhibitory activity at the final concentration of 10 μg/ml, as the production of 5α-DHT decreased by 52% (IC50 = 9.21 ± 0.38 μg/ml).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Avicennia marina (AM) was identified as a potential candidate for the treatment of AGA based on its 5α-R1-inhibitory activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.|Research Unit of Natural Product Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Ruchy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand.
authors.forename: Orawan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Monthakantirat
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Parkpoom
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tengamnuay
authors.affiliation: Research Unit of Natural Product Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. dwanchai@chula.ac.th.|Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. dwanchai@chula.ac.th.
authors.forename: Wanchai
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: De-Eknamkul
mesh_terms: D058891:5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000505:Alopecia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D059002:Androgen Receptor Antagonists / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D006197:Hair / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000378:metabolism; D013785:Thailand
chemical_list: D058891:5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors; D059002:Androgen Receptor Antagonists; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone