[Proliferation behavior of the anagen hair bulb in androgenetic alopecia before and after local administration of 17 alpha- propylmesterolone--DNA flow cytophotometry studies].

10 male test persons with androgenetic alopecia (Hamilton stage IV) were topically treated with an alcoholic 17 alpha-propylmesterolone solution (PM, 3%) for 3 months. Before and after treatment, we took deep biopsies from the fronto-temporal scalp region. Microsurgically, we isolated anagen hair bulbs, connective tissue with epidermis, and fat from the biopsy samples in order to determine cell cycle kinetics by means of DNA-flow cytometry. By comparison, cell cycle kinetics of the pre- and post-treatment samples did not show any significant changes with regard to connective tissue and fat, whereas in anagen hair bulbs, we found a significant increase of both S-phase cells (%) and the proliferation index (%). These results imply that PM, if topically applied, enhances the proliferative activity of hair matrix cells.