Investigation of plasma thiol/disulfide balance in male patients with androgenetic alopecia

Background Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common cause of hair loss in men. In addition to genetic and hormonal factors, oxidative stress (OS) is suggested as a factor in the etiology. Aim In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of OS due to thiol disulfide balance deterioration in male patients with AGA. Materials and Methods A total of 45 male AGA patients and 42 healthy male controls were included in the study. Native thiol, disulfide, and total thiol levels were assessed through automated spectrophotometry. The relationship between total protein, albumin, native thiol, disulfide, and total thiol levels in addition to demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were examined. Results The mean age of the patients was 32.6 +/- 10 years, and the median AGA duration in the patients was 3 years. There was no statistically significant difference in terms of native thiol, disulfide, total thiol levels, disulfide/total thiol, disulfide/native thiol, and native thiol/total thiol ratios between AGA patients and controls. Native thiol and total thiol levels negatively correlated with age and AGA duration, while disulfide levels only correlated with age.Albumin and native thiol levels were significantly lower in patients with low vitamin D levels (p = 0.040 and p = 0.021, respectively); however, total thiol and native thiol/total thiol ratio values were significantly higher. Conclusion According to this study, thiol disulfide homeostasis is in balance in male patients with AGA. In patients with emotional stress and vitamin D deficiency, the balance appears to be shifted in favor of oxidative stress.

Automated summary

This study explored the presence of oxidative stress in male patients with Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) and found that thiol disulfide homeostasis is generally balanced in these patients, but may shift towards oxidative stress in individuals with emotional stress and vitamin D deficiency.