Immunosuppressant Drugs and Hair Growth

[LawOfThelema]

Plucked from a german forum where it was claimed to reduce back from Norwood 7 to Norwood 0 in a month via "paralyzing" the immune system.

Now this has an air of bull**** about it, but tell me it doesn't sound compelling. If male pattern baldness is an autoimmune attack of sorts on the follicle being triggered by androgens and a genetic susceptance then does it not sound plausible.


Indeed we can find instances of immunosuppressant drugs promoting hair growth even in pathological cases

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7528050

Hair growth-stimulating effects of cyclosporin A and FK506, potent immunosuppressants.

Yamamoto S, Kato R.
Source

Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.

Abstract

Cyclosporin A (CsA), a cyclic endecapeptide, is a T cell-specific immunosuppressant and is successfully used in the field of organ transplantation. Another T cell-specific immunosuppressant, FK506, a more recently discovered macrolide antibiotic, is effective against graft rejection at much lower doses than CsA. Although totally different in structure, both compounds inhibit T cell activation by interfering with the production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) by inhibiting IL-2 gene expression, probably through the inhibition of calcineurin, a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase. Clinical studies have revealed that FK506 induces a variety of side effects in common with CsA. One of the most common side effects of CsA is hypertrichosis. The hair growth stimulating effect of CsA is observed not only in normal but also in pathological conditions of hair growth, i.e. in patients with alopecia areata and also in some patients with male-pattern alopecia. Although hypertrichosis is induced by both topical and oral administration of CsA, there has been no report showing that FK506 induces hypertrichosis. Recently we have found that topical application of FK506 to skins of mice, rats and hamsters markedly stimulates hair growth. This hair growth stimulating effect of FK506 is observed when applied topically but not by oral administration, even with a dose which causes marked immunosuppression. The hair growth stimulating effect of FK506 in normal animals may apparently be unrelated to its immunosuppressive effect. In vitro studies revealed that FK506 directly stimulates hair follicles. Mechanisms of hair growth stimulating effects of FK506 and CsA remain to be elucidated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

 

[zeroes]

Did they back it up with pictures? When did they make the claim?

 

[LawOfThelema]

i didnt see any pix in the thread. the main interesting thing was that immunosuppressant drugs can promote hair growth. i couldnt read german so cant read the whole thread but a link to that study i posted was given by one user.

 

[RisingFist]

I read people going organic and improving their diet, yet don't always improve their hair loss and come to the conclusion that nutrition isn't the solution. Although I believe nutrition and general well being is very important to health and hair, sometimes it goes beyond just picking whole foods. I haven't seen anyone try an autoimmune diet or a thyroid diet and post their results. I don't think many are even aware of such specific diet. It cuts out a lot of food that people normally eat. There are some Paelo websites that tell you more about it. I think it's something worth trying, especially if you might have an autoimmune condition. Combine that with a natural regimen like aged garlic extract + curcumin and natural topicals, it may help people quite a bit. Especially if they are in the early stages. I hope it's something more of you look into and try out. I stumbled upon a shopping list for autoimmune diet on the net. If someone wants me to look for it let me know in case you can't find it.

 

[Bryan]

I have a copy of a case history written in a medical journal in which a patient was given large amounts of cyclosporin every day. Despite that, it had no effect on his male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). The doctors who wrote the study used it as a reason NOT to expect any effect on hair from cyclosporin.

By the way, I should mention here that Dr. Proctor has said that the effect of cyclosporin on hair probably has nothing at all to do with its effect on the immune system.

 

[Moximus]

I have a copy of a case history written in a medical journal in which a patient was given large amounts of cyclosporin every day. Despite that, it had no effect on his male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). The doctors who wrote the study used it as a reason NOT to expect any effect on hair from cyclosporin.

By the way, I should mention here that Dr. Proctor has said that the effect of cyclosporin on hair probably has nothing at all to do with its effect on the immune system.

Correct, CsyA is a calcineurin inhibitor. Besides having an immunosupressant effect CIs can start cell cycles in other such cell lines. In one paper 4/8 patients taking CsyA had shown significant hair growth, but it only continued with use of the drug. Not something you'd want to mess with if you wanted to keep your hair for long periods of time.

I do think however, inflammation affects the DPCs plays a significant role in Androgenetic Alopecia.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12734112

Free full text there if you wish, just a little info on the mechanism

 

[LawOfThelema]

I read people going organic and improving their diet, yet don't always improve their hair loss and come to the conclusion that nutrition isn't the solution. Although I believe nutrition and general well being is very important to health and hair, sometimes it goes beyond just picking whole foods. I haven't seen anyone try an autoimmune diet or a thyroid diet and post their results. I don't think many are even aware of such specific diet. It cuts out a lot of food that people normally eat. There are some Paelo websites that tell you more about it. I think it's something worth trying, especially if you might have an autoimmune condition. Combine that with a natural regimen like aged garlic extract + curcumin and natural topicals, it may help people quite a bit. Especially if they are in the early stages. I hope it's something more of you look into and try out. I stumbled upon a shopping list for autoimmune diet on the net. If someone wants me to look for it let me know in case you can't find it.

Ok. I eat high organic, more than anyone I know. No change in hair loss. Might matter for nutritive deficiency related hair loss or Telogen Effluvium, but means little to nothing versus heritable androgen stimulus triggered male pattern hair loss. There have been studies done on monozygotic (identical - ie: same genotype) to see lifestyle effects influence on androgenetic alopecia. Heredity dominates all them. The main ones IIRC are regular cigarette smoking, and heavy alcohol consumption, and being divorced for women with Androgenetic Alopecia. Those are a few things which are slight risk factors. Now does this prove that no dietary intervention could cure hair loss because all the studies done on identical twins showed diet exerted marginal if any influence? Surely not, but it is highly suggestive. Furthermore, there is no case throughout all of mankind where one identical twin balded and the other retained his hair. If you believe that hair loss is triggered by androgenic stimulus then your diet would have to be able to heavily modify that stimulus. Of course, you could just deny all the evidence supporting that Androgenetic Alopecia is triggered by androgens but then you must not be very interested in maintaining your hair. Do you think you can reduce your scalp DHT by 50% through your diet? I don't. Ok, you might say, well minoxidil doesn't affect DHT and it grows hair, and sustains hair in Androgenetic Alopecia. Sure, but it doesn't generate the result that things which directly intervening on androgenic activity do. Ok, maybe you can find an esoteric enough diet or enough bizarre extracts or photochemical to get the job done, but I'm fairly certain that plenty of these have been studied in vitro and their activity isn't enough to warrant studying them in vivio. male pattern baldness just seems to have a very tightly wound hard to intervene on pathological process (many interacting factors and feedbacks making it RESISTANT TO PURTURBATION). Then your genotype is always pulling the process back to baseline pathological one where you bald no matter which way you perturb it. I often see people talking of mainstream medicine in terms of "providing bandaids" as tho the cure for baldness should simply be a one shot deal. But this is a misunderstanding of living things. Living things aren't rocks or tables or bridges where you make the purturbation and the system stays in that purturbed state until another external purturbation comes along. Do those who advocate diets only eat the diet once for it's purported effect? Do you only exercise once and expect your organism to sustain the one time response. No, your frequently reapply these things. Same with supplments, same with almost anything you can think of. Even the gains from concurrent useage of very powerful antiandrogens, and other powerful drugs that can intervene on balding are difficult to sustain (I could link you to a guy with temple regrowth on finasteride, oral loniten, and topical RU 58841 --all strong drugs, the guy had an astonishing INITIAL response on his temples below his hair line where there was prior NO TERMINAL HAIR, but he couldnt maintain it beyond a few months and eventually he lost what he gained on his prior slick temple). I simply doubt that diet can exert a strong enough modulation on the process. I really no longer even look at the dietary pathway. William F Buckley Junior said that the purpose of the open mind is to close it, at least on certain topics, otherwise you have abdicated the responsibility to think.

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I have a copy of a case history written in a medical journal in which a patient was given large amounts of cyclosporin every day. Despite that, it had no effect on his male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). The doctors who wrote the study used it as a reason NOT to expect any effect on hair from cyclosporin.

By the way, I should mention here that Dr. Proctor has said that the effect of cyclosporin on hair probably has nothing at all to do with its effect on the immune system.

Interesting, so for that drug, it was a sense a "side effect", not related to its main action on the immune system?

 

[The Natural]

Interesting thread. Just happened upon this the other day: Resveratrol and curcumin suppress immune response through CD28/CTLA-4 and CD80 co-stimulatory pathway.

Abstract

The role of resveratrol and curcumin is well documented in cancer, inflammation, diabetes and various other diseases. However, their immunosuppressive action on T cells, B cells and macrophages is not well documented. In the present study, we have ascertained the effect of resveratrol and curcumin on T and B cells and macrophages. The most striking findings were that both resveratrol and curcumin suppressed the activity of T and B cells and macrophages, as evidenced by significant inhibition in proliferation, antibody production and lymphokine secretion. Interestingly, curcumin imparted immunosuppression by mainly down-regulating the expression of CD28 and CD80 and up-regulating CTLA-4. Resveratrol also functioned by decreasing the expression of CD28 and CD80, as well as by augmenting the production of interleukin (IL)-10.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1810449/

 

[LawOfThelema]

Bryan, clear your private messages. Have a ? for you.

 

[Bryan]

Bryan, clear your private messages. Have a ? for you.

Try it again.

 

[Jacob]

I have a copy of a case history written in a medical journal in which a patient was given large amounts of cyclosporin every day. Despite that, it had no effect on his male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). The doctors who wrote the study used it as a reason NOT to expect any effect on hair from cyclosporin.

By the way, I should mention here that Dr. Proctor has said that the effect of cyclosporin on hair probably has nothing at all to do with its effect on the immune system.

And there it is again. :shakehead:

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On cyclosporin A:

Encapsulation of dermatological active substances in liposomes was the subject of a lecture by professor Dr. Alfred Fahr from the Institut fr Pharmazeutische Technologie (Institute for Pharmazeutical Technology) of Jena University. The crucial factor for the infiltration of the liposomes in deeper skin layers is their formability. An additional driving force is obviously the moisture gradient between skin and ambiance. Liposomal dermatic preparations should therefore not be applied under occlusive conditions.

Surprisingly, Fahr determined in his tests at model systems with excised human skin from plastic surgery that by encapsulation in fluid liposomes not only the penetration of hydrophilic but also the penetration of in particular lipophilic pharmaceuticals can be enhanced. With the example of the hardly water-soluble immuno suppressant Ciclosporin A this has also been shown in an animal model for Alopecia areata: hairless rats which had been topically treated with liposomally encapsulated Ciclosporin A regained a normal fur growth within only a few weeks. Other preparations in which Cyclosporin A had been applied in presence of classical penetration agents as alcohol did however not show any effect at the same test conditions.

http://www.dermotopics.de/english/issue_2_03_e/7jahrestagung_2_2003_e.htm

 

[Armando Jose]

Can you show us the link. Thelaw....
(I could link you to a guy with temple regrowth on finasteride, oral loniten, and topical RU 58841 --all strong drugs, the guy had an astonishing INITIAL response on his temples below his hair line where there was prior NO TERMINAL HAIR, but he couldnt maintain it beyond a few months and eventually he lost what he gained on his prior slick temple)

 

[Bryan]

I should mention here that the case study I was talking about in my earlier post used large oral doses of cyclosporin in a human; it wasn't in an animal model, didn't involve alopecia areata, and wasn't applied topically in liposomes. Cyclosporin had no effect on a human with the standard kind of balding (male pattern baldness).

 

[LawOfThelema]

it wasn't in an animal model, didn't involve alopecia areata, and wasn't applied topically in liposomes.

LOL!

 

[Jacob]

That quote and everything else could be applied to Bryan's choice of crap..I mean product. Absolutely nothing in that case. (I'd laugh..but it's sickeningly sad)