Hey bud, just F.Y.I. according to Brotzu himself, PGE1 oxidizes very easily and is therefore hard to deliver it within a topical; Brotzu first attempted to use PGE1 directly:
https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2013171668A1/en
The following is written in his second patent:
"Encapsulation in liposomes is not able to increase the very poor stability of PGE1, though; the findings of WO2013171668 in fact, must be freeze-dried or, if in suspension, stored at low temperature (about -20°C) up to the time of use, if one intends to prevent the almost complete oxidation of PGE1. This obviously represents a complication not only on the industrial production level, but mainly on the product safety level. To act against the oxidative process, in fact, the trend is to resort to PGE1 doses that might be dangerous for the body, considered the repeated employment of these products, which must be administered over very long periods."
https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2015170247A1/en
He claims to have switched to DGLA because 1) it is a precursor to PGE1; that is, your body can use it to produce PGE1 within your cells, 2) it does not easily oxidize and 3) unlike PGE1, it is not considered a drug and thus does not require clinical trials.
So I do think if you try to use PGE1, it won't work.
I posted earlier that liposomes can deliver drugs straight to the follicle; this improves drug delivery and so you can use less to get a greater effect. This is partially discussed in the patent. Large oral (i.e. systemic) doses of equol do little.
I cannot tell you why the doctor claims that s-equol only works in conjunction with DGLA. Or why this detail had to be amended on the patent. Or how, having started the work by investigating PGE1, he would have seen results without using s-equol or why he would ever think to use a plant phytoestrogen to begin with. I am equally befuddled, but that's what the man claims.