Inhibition of hair growth by testosterone in the presence of dermal papilla cells from the frontal bald scalp of the postpubertal stumptailed macaque

Hair-follicle regression in the bald scalps of stumptailed macaques develops after puberty, which corresponds to an elevation of serum testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. Using the cultured cells from the pre- and postpubertal macaques, we examined the role of dermal papilla cells in testosterone-induced inhibition of outer root sheath cell proliferation. Testosterone showed no effects on proliferation of either dermal papilla cells or outer root sheath cells cultured alone. Testosterone-induced inhibition of outer root sheath cell proliferation occurred only in coculture with dermal papilla cells derived from the bald scalps of adult macaques but not with dermal papilla cells from the hairy occipital scalps of adult macaques or the prebald frontal scalps of juvenile macaques. Furthermore, RU 58841, an androgen receptor blocker, antagonized this testosterone-elicited inhibition. Together our data indicate that the inhibitory effect of testosterone on proliferation of epithelial cells is age dependent, and androgen may play an essential role in hair growth either by inducing repressor(s) from dermal papilla cells, which may then inhibit the growth of epithelial cells of the hair follicle, or by inducing growth factor(s) from dermal papilla cells, which, in turn, may trigger the induction of some repressors in epithelial cells, thereby inhibiting the epithelial cell growth. Our animal studies also showed that RU 58841 has a dramatic effect on hair regrowth in the bald frontal scalp of the stumptailed macaque, which may further support our in vitro culture studies showing that antiandrogens can antagonize testosterone-elicited hair growth. In summary, our studies may provide a model for further isolation of androgen-regulated repressor(s)/growth factors, which may help control hair growth and baldness.