Ann Dermatol.  2016 Feb;28(1):65-73. 10.5021/ad.2016.28.1.65.

Topical Products for Human Hair Regeneration: A Comparative Study on an Animal Model

• Orasan MS
• Bolfa P
• Coneac A
• Muresan A
• Mihu C

• KMID: 2429483
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5021/ad.2016.28.1.65

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Hair loss and hair growth is the subject of tremendous amount of research.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated the efficacy of three chemical treatments used in humans for hair loss, using a rat model of hair regrowth. The products tested were 2% minoxidil, Hairgrow (Dar-Al-Dawa Pharma), Aminexil, Dercos (Vichy Laboratoires), and Kerium, Anti-chute (La Roche-Posay).
METHODS
Thirty-two adult female Wistar-Bratislava rats were assigned to 4 groups. Two rectangular areas (2x4 cm) were shaved on either sides of the mid dorsal line (left side - control; right side - test area). Group I was treated topically with 2% minoxidil, group II with Aminexil, and group III with Kerium. Each rat received 0.3 ml of substance applied topically to the shaved dorsal skin every day for 28 days. Rats in group IV served as sham controls receiving no treatment. Hair regrowth was evaluated by trichoscopy (with a dermatoscope), grown hair weight (from a surface area of 1 cm2), and histopathological examination for skin thickness, follicle count, and percentage of anagen induction (morphometric assessment).
RESULTS
Treatment with 2% minoxidil significantly induced hair regrowth as assessed by trichoscopy, hair weight examination, and morphometric evaluation. Hair weight examination and morphometric assessment demonstrated the lowest hair growth effect with Aminexil among the tested products. Treatment with Kerium was found to significantly induce hair regrowth (p<0.05 as compared to the control group).
CONCLUSION
Our study demonstrates that hair regrowth efficacy of products recommended for human use is not similar when tested on an animal model.

Keyword

Hair regrowth; Rat model; Topical therapy

MeSH Terms

Adult
Animals*
Female
Hair*
Humans*
Minoxidil
Models, Animal*
Rats
Regeneration*
Skin
Minoxidil

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Gross clinical evaluation on day 28.

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  Fig. 2 Trichoscopy findings on day 0 (A) and day 28 (B).

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  Fig. 3 Trichoscopic examination scoring expressed as mean±standard error of mean.

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  Fig. 4 The effect of the different types of treatments (left column) on hair regrowth in Wistar rats, compared with the negative control area. The dotted lines indicate the junction between dermis (D) and subcutaneous layer (S) (H&E). The columns on the right illustrate the percentage of anagen phase induction for each type of treatment (*p<0.05).

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