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Sulfotransferase activity in plucked hair follicles predicts response to topical minoxidil in the treatment of female androgenetic alopecia
Author(s) -
Roberts Janet,
Desai Nisha,
McCoy John,
Goren Andy
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
dermatologic therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.595
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1529-8019
pISSN - 1396-0296
DOI - 10.1111/dth.12130
Subject(s) - minoxidil , medicine , male pattern baldness , cabello , hair loss , hair follicle , sulfotransferase , dermatology , endocrinology , scalp , sulfation , biology , genetics
Two percent topical minoxidil is the only US Food and Drug Administration‐approved drug for the treatment of female androgenetic alopecia ( AGA ). Its success has been limited by the low percentage of responders. Meta‐analysis of several studies reporting the number of responders to 2% minoxidil monotherapy indicates moderate hair regrowth in only 13–20% of female patients. Five percent minoxidil solution, when used off‐label, may increase the percentage of responders to as much as 40%. As such, a biomarker for predicting treatment response would have significant clinical utility. In a previous study, G oren et al. reported an association between sulfotransferase activity in plucked hair follicles and minoxidil response in a mixed cohort of male and female patients. The aim of this study was to replicate these findings in a well‐defined cohort of female patients with AGA treated with 5% minoxidil daily for a period of 6 months. Consistent with the prior study, we found that sulfotransferase activity in plucked hair follicles predicts treatment response with 93% sensitivity and 83% specificity. Our study further supports the importance of minoxidil sulfation in eliciting a therapeutic response and provides further insight into novel targets for increasing minoxidil efficacy.

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