Prevention and treatment of alopecia areata with quercetin in the C3H/HeJ mouse model

Cell Stress Chaperones. 2011 Nov 1. [Epub ahead of print]
Prevention and treatment of alopecia areata with quercetin in the C3H/HeJ mouse model.
Wikramanayake TC, Villasante AC, Mauro LM, Perez CI, Schachner LA, Jimenez JJ.

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Avenue, RMSB 2023A, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.

Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune non-scarring hair loss disorder. AA can be acute, recurrent, or chronic. Current therapeutic options for AA are limited, and there is no effective prevention for recurrent AA. We have previously shown a correlation between the expression of HSP70 (HSPA1A/B), a heat shock protein involved in the inflammatory response, and the onset of AA in the C3H/HeJ mouse model. In this study, we tested the effects of quercetin, a bioflavonoid with anti-inflammatory properties, on AA development and HSP70 expression in the C3H/HeJ model. Mice with spontaneous AA were treated with subcutaneous quercetin or sham injections. Hair regrowth was observed in lesional areas in all the quercetin-treated mice, but in none of the sham-treated mice. In addition, non-alopecic C3H/HeJ mice were heat-treated to induce alopecia, along with quercetin or sham injections. Whereas 24% of the heat-treated mice with sham injections developed alopecia, none of the mice receiving quercetin injections did. As expected, the level of HSP70 expression in quercetin-treated areas was comparable to control. Furthermore, we showed that systemic delivery of quercetin by intraperitoneal injections prevented/reduced spontaneous onset of AA. Our results demonstrated that quercetin provided effective treatment for AA as well as prevention of onset of AA in the C3H/HeJ model, and warrant further clinical studies to determine whether quercetin may provide both treatment for preexisting AA and prevention of recurrent AA. The ready availability of quercetin as a dietary supplement may lead to increased patient compliance and positive outcomes for AA.

Good news because I'm already taking it for allergies . Of course, in small quantities as a pill. The mice got it as injections. No clue in the article concerning the effective quantity one needs to take though...

That is one thing that always concerns me about the effectiveness of supplementation.
You tend to find standard dosages with most of the supplements you purchase and most products
don't fall too far out of this standard range.

But when I see studies like this it always makes me wonder if these dosages are anywhere close to proportionate to the dosages given to the test subjects.

I guess I'd like to know how the dosage for the supplement products is determined and if I should be taking more than the recommended amount.

I've been taking it now steadily for a few months now. Is main advantage might be how it reduces anxiety and corticotrophin releasing hormone. It also modulates
the HTPA, so it's a win-win.

I use this stuff to get the additional phospholipid carrier.

http://www.iherb.com/MRM-Quercetin-500-mg-60-Veggie-Caps/12059?at=hil335

If the study above has any merit, it would not be surprising given its other benefits.
I usually take it twice per day.

Quote CS

"In addition, non-alopecic C3H/HeJ mice were heat-treated to induce alopecia, along with quercetin or sham injections"

Heat treated, I Love it! Today when I dunked my head in the ocean off the pacific NW cost it was about 6 degrees C.
Done it 4 weeks in a row now and.... regrowth!

Thanks for the link CS, I just ordered a bottle.