Effect of the glyceride of pentadecanoic acid on energy metabolism in hair follicles

Synopsis The effect of the glyceride of pentadecanoic acid (PDG) in treating male pattern alopecia has already been confirmed in a double blind controlled clinical test. In order to study the mechanism of the hair growing effect of PDG, ATP levels were measured in the hair follicles of rabbits. The ATP levels in telogen hair follicles increased remarkably with the application of PDG. To examine this effect, the metabolic properties of pentadecanoic acid (PDA) were investigated using the mitochondrial fraction prepared from guinea-pig hair follicles. It was shown that PDA could be metabolized in hair follicles, and succinic acid, which was formed in the degradation process of PDA, had a remarkable ATP producing ability. These results suggest that the hair growing effect of PDG depends on the efficient supply of energy to hair follicles, and this mechanism seems to be derived from the metabolic property of the odd numbered carbon fatty acid, PDA. Resume L'effet du monoglyceride de l'acide pentadecanoique (PDG) dans le traitement de l'alopecie de configuration masculine a deja ete confirme dans un test clinique en double aveugle. Afin d'etudier le mecanisme de l'effet de croissance sur les poils du PDG, les niveaux d'ATP ont ete mesures sur les follicules de poils de lapins. Les niveaux d'ATP des follicules pileux telogenes ont augmente remarquablement avec l'application du PDG. Pour comprendre cet effet, les proprietes metaboliques de l'acide pentadecanoique (PDA) ont ete etudiees en utilisant la fraction mitochondriale preparee a partir des follicules pileux de cobayes. Il a ete demontre que le PDA pouvait etre metabolise dans les follicules pileux et que l'acide succinique, forme au cours du procede de degradation du PDA, presente une capacite de production d'ATP remarquable. Ces resultats suggerent que l'effet de croissance du PDG depend de sa propriete de fournir de l'energie aux follicules pileux, et que ce mecanisme semble etre derive de leur faculte de metaboliser un acide gras a nombre impair de carbones, le PDA.