Chronic
inflammation of the hair follicle (HF) is considered a contributing factor in the pathogenesis of
androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Previously, we clinically tested liposterolic extract of Serenoa repens (LSESr) and its
glycoside, β-
sitosterol, in subjects with AGA and showed a highly positive response to treatment. In this study, we sought to determine whether blockade of
inflammation using a composition containing LSESr as well as two
anti-inflammatory agents (
carnitine and
thioctic acid) could alter the expression of molecular markers of
inflammation in a well-established in vitro system. Using a well-validated assay representative of HF keratinocytes, specifically, stimulation of cultured human keratinocyte cells in vitro, we measured changes in gene expression of a spectrum of well-known inflammatory markers.
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) provided an inflammatory stimulus. In particular, we found that the composition effectively suppressed LPS-activated gene expression of
chemokines, including CCL17, CXCL6 and LTB(4) associated with pathways involved in
inflammation and apoptosis. Our data support the hypothesis that the test compound exhibits anti-inflammatory characteristics in a well-established in vitro assay representing HF keratinocyte gene expression. These findings suggest that
5-alpha reductase inhibitors combined with blockade of inflammatory processes could represent a novel two-pronged approach in the treatment of AGA with improved efficacy over current modalities.