TITLE
The effect of finasteride, a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor, on scalp skin testosterone and dihydrotestosterone concentrations in patients with male pattern baldness.

AUTHOR
Dallob AL; Sadick NS; Unger W; Lipert S; Geissler LA; Gregoire SL; Nguyen HH; Moore EC; Tanaka WK

ORGANISATION
Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, New Jersey 07065.

SOURCE
J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1994 Sep; 79 (3): 703-6

LANGUAGE OF PUBLICATION
English

ABSTRACT
The effects of the 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor, finasteride, on scalp skin testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels were studied in patients with male pattern baldness. In a double blind study, male patients undergoing hair transplantation were treated with oral finasteride (5 mg/day) or placebo for 28 days. Scalp skin biopsies were obtained before and after treatment for measurement of T and DHT by high pressure liquid chromatography-RIA. In 10 male subjects studied at baseline, mean (+/- SEM) DHT levels were significantly higher in bald (7.37 +/- 1.24 pmol/g) compared to hair-containing (4.20 +/- 0.65 pmol/g) scalp, whereas there was no difference in mean T levels at baseline. In bald scalp from 8 patients treated with finasteride, the mean DHT concentration decreased from 6.40 +/- 1.07 pmol/g at baseline to 3.62 +/- 0.38 pmol/g on day 28. Scalp T levels increased in 6 of 8 subjects treated with finasteride. Finasteride decreased the mean serum DHT concentration from 1.36 +/- 0.18 nmol/L (n=8) at baseline to 0.46 +/- 0.10 nmol/L on day 28 and had no effect on serum T. There were no significant changes in scalp or serum T or DHT in placebo-treated patients. In this study, male subjects treated with 5 mg/day finasteride for 4 weeks had significantly decreased concentrations of DHT in bald scalp, resulting in a mean level similar to the baseline levels found in hair-containing scalp. (AUTHOR)

MJTR: Alopecia DT. Finasteride TU. Scalp ME. Stanolone ME. Testosterone ME. Testosterone 5-alpha-Reductase AI.

MNTR: Adult. Alopecia ME. Double-Blind Method. Finasteride PD. Human. Male. Middle Age. Scalp DE. Stanolone BL. Testosterone BL. CLINICAL TRIAL. JOURNAL ARTICLE. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

RNUM: EC 1.3.99.5 (Testosterone 5-alpha-Reductase); 521-18-6 (Stanolone); 57-85-2 (Testosterone); 98319-26-7 (Finasteride)

GEOT: UNITED STATES

IDEN: ISSN: 0021-972X. JOURNAL-CODE: HRB. ENTRY-DATE: 941006. JOURNAL-SUBSET: A M X. IM-DATE: 9412.

ACCE: 94358066