ABSTRACT
Finasteride 1 mg is considered to be the standard treatment method for male androgenetic alopecia (AGA). However, there have only been a few studies investigating its long-term efficacy. Moreover, its effect on various types of AGA remains unknown. In this study, the authors investigated the 5-year efficacy of finasteride 1 mg in Korean men with AGA and analyzed the changes in hair growth according to the distribution of hair loss. The medical records of male AGA patients who were treated with oral finasteride for a period of at least 5 years at two university hospitals were retrospectively reviewed. Patients' photographs were evaluated using the basic and specific (BASP) classification and investigator's global assessment. Of the total 126 patients, 108 (85.7%) showed improvement after 5 years of treatment. According to the BASP classification, hair loss of the anterior hair line (basic type), vertex (V type), and frontal area (F type) was improved in 44.4%, 89.7% and 61.2% of patients, respectively. The V type showed a more rapid and steady improvement compared with the other types. Progression of alopecia after peak improvement was seen in 10.3% of cases of the V type, 16.2% of the F type and 0% of the basic type. In conclusion, finasteride 1 mg showed a sustainable effect for at least 5 years in Korean male AGA patients. The exact time points showing signs of first clinical improvement and sustainability were different depending on the type of alopecia.
Subject(s)
5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Alopecia/drug therapy , Finasteride/therapeutic use , Adult , Alopecia/classification , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Anti-inflammatory effects of Houttuynia cordata supercritical extract (HSE) were investigated in a carrageenan-air pouch model. HSE (200 mg/kg, oral) suppressed exudation and albumin leakage, as well as inflammatory cell infiltration. Dexamethasone (2 mg/kg, i.p.) only decreased exudation and cell infiltration, while indomethacin (2 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced exudate volume and albumin content. HSE lowered tumor-necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and nitric oxide (NO), as well as prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)). Dexamethasone only reduced TNF-alpha and NO, while indomethacin decreased TNF-alpha and PGE(2). The suppressive activity of HSE on NO and PGE(2) production was confirmed in RAW 264.7. These results demonstrate that HSE exerts anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting both TNF-alpha-NO and cyclooxygenase II-PGE(2) pathways.
Subject(s)
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology , Signal Transduction/drug effects , Analysis of Variance , Animals , Carrageenan , Cell Line, Tumor , Dexamethasone/pharmacology , Dinoprostone/metabolism , Houttuynia , Immunoenzyme Techniques , Indomethacin/pharmacology , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred ICR , Nitric Oxide/metabolism , Therapeutic Irrigation , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolismABSTRACT
A new ent-abietane diterpenoid, 3alpha,6beta-dihydroxy-7,17-dioxo-ent-abieta-15(16)-ene (1), and three known ent-kaurane diterpenids, kamebacetal A (2), kamebakaurin (3), and excisanin A (4), and a known triterpenoid, ursolic acid (5), were isolated from the aerial parts of Isodon inflexus. Their chemical structures were determined by extensive analysis of spectroscopic data including 1D-and 2D-NMR experiments. All isolates (1-5) were evaluated for their potential to inhibit LPS-induced nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 cells. Of these, compounds 1-4 inhibited the production of NO with IC(50) values ranging from 1.0 to 26.5 microM.
