Immunohistochemical Study on Proliferating Cells in Alopecia using Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

Backgroud The number of proliferating cell populations in the hair is follicles is closely related to the regulation of hair growth. Destruction of hair germ cells and the loss of proliferating cells have been suggested to be of major pathogenetic significance in alopecia areata OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to compare the growth frrections in proliferating cells of normal hair follicles with those in alopecia. METHODS: An immunohiatochemical study was done to detect the proliferating cells in hair follicles using a monoclonal antibody against proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA) in the scalp biopsy of an alopecia patient on the peraffin embedded sections. RESULTS: A significant decrease of the labelling indeces of PCNA were observed in the hair follicles of alopecia compared with normal condition. But we could not find significant differences of labelling index in the clinical types of alopecia, responses to treatment, anc systemic immunologic state. CONCLUSIONS: Whole the above results confirmed that significant decreases of proliferating cells in the hair follicle could explain the part of the pathogenetic mechanism in alopecia, its direct cause which inhibit the proliferation of cells is not clear.