Hair Thickness Growth Effect of Adenosine Complex in Male-/Female-Patterned Hair Loss via Inhibition of Androgen Receptor Signaling

Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jun 13;25(12):6534. doi: 10.3390/ijms25126534.
Hair Thickness Growth Effect of Adenosine Complex in Male-/Female-Patterned Hair Loss via Inhibition of Androgen Receptor Signaling
Jaeyoon Kim 1, Jae Young Shin 1, Yun-Ho Choi 1, Jang Ho Joo 1, Mi Hee Kwack 2, Young Kwan Sung 2, Nae Gyu Kang 1

Aging (senescence) is an unavoidable biological process that results in visible manifestations in all cutaneous tissues, including scalp skin and hair follicles. Previously, we evaluated the molecular function of adenosine in promoting alopecia treatment in vitro. To elucidate the differences in the molecular mechanisms between minoxidil (MNX) and adenosine, gene expression changes in dermal papilla cells were examined. The androgen receptor (AR) pathway was identified as a candidate target of adenosine for hair growth, and the anti-androgenic activity of adenosine was examined in vitro. In addition, ex vivo examination of human hair follicle organ cultures revealed that adenosine potently elongated the anagen stage. According to the severity of alopecia, the ratio of the two peaks (terminal hair area/vellus hair area) decreased continuously. We further investigated the adenosine hair growth promoting effect in vivo to examine the hair thickness growth effects of topical 5% MNX and the adenosine complex (0.75% adenosine, 1% penthenol, and 2% niacinamide; APN) in vivo. After 4 months of administration, both the MNX and APN group showed significant increases in hair density (MNX + 5.01% (p < 0.01), APN + 6.20% (p < 0.001)) and thickness (MNX + 5.14% (p < 0.001), APN + 10.32% (p < 0.001)). The inhibition of AR signaling via adenosine could have contributed to hair thickness growth. We suggest that the anti-androgenic effect of adenosine, along with the evaluation of hair thickness distribution, could help us to understand hair physiology and to investigate new approaches for drug development.

Keywords: adenosine; androgen alopecia; androgen receptor; anti-androgenic activity; hair thickness.

Conflict of interest statement
Authors Jaeyoon Kim, Jae young Shin, Yun-Ho Choi, Jang Ho Joo, and Nae Gyu Kang were employed by the company LG Household & Healthcare Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Long form:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11204140/