Endocrine Abstracts

Oestrogens have important modulatory effects on the skin and the hair follicle. Although they inhibit hair growth in animal models, their effect on human hair growth is less clear. Therefore, we have investigated the effect of oestrogenic compounds on human hair growth in vitro using a whole follicle assay system.Individual microdissected hair follicles from female temporal/occipital scalp (n=6, age range 49–69 mean age 54.67yrs) were incuba...

A number of tissues have been identified as non-classical targets of oestrogen action. Oestrogen can significantly influence the hair cycle and the human hair follicle provides an accessible tissue to investigate mesenchymal:epithelial interactions in vitro. Recently, oestrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and beta (ERbeta) have been identified in human hair follicle cells. Although human hair follicles vary significantly with body site, non-balding scalp follicles have not been r...

The role of oestrogens on the regulation of human hair growth is poorly understood. Using whole human scalp hair follicle organ culture, we have recently demonstrated, that human hair growth is inhibited by 17beta-oestradiol, but not by the biologically inactive isomer 17alpha-oestradiol. Using immunohistochemistry, we have also demonstrated the presence of both ERalpha and ERbeta in the pilosebaceous unit and the dermal papilla, a mesenchymal structure that controls the diffe...