Combination therapy with oral minoxidil and dutasteride in the treatment of male patterned baldness: A case report

Androgenetic alopecia is a medical condition with a deep social and psychological impact on the affected individuals and is characterized by progressive hair thinning, leading to hair loss over the scalp in both males and females. Minoxidil in oral form is primarily an antihypertensive drug, whose mechanism of action is not completely known. Dutasteride is a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, acting on both alpha-1 and alpha-2 receptors. The author combined these two agents for the treatment of male patterned baldness and found that this combination imparts a visible increase in hair thickness, density, and new hair growth in the patient, within a short period causing minimal side effects.

The HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor Activities of Soy Protein Hydrolysates from Papain Hydrolysis

The search for an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor agent as a safe and inexpensive alternative treatment for hypercholesterolemia has been carried out using soy protein hydrolysates as one of the bioactive peptide sources. This study was conducted to explore the potency of soy protein hydrolysates as an anti hypercholesterolemia agent by an in vitro assay, through the inhibition capacity of the HMG-CoA (3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl-coenzyme A) reductase enzyme as a key component of cholesterol biosynthesis. Sample preparation started with soy protein isolation through acid precipitation and separated by centrifugation. The samples were analyzed the proximate content and hydrolyzed by papain enzyme at concentration 0.2% (w/v), for 0-6 hours and at 37, 50, and 55 oC. The protein hydrolysates were subsequently evaluated for hydrolysis degree (% DH), hydrolysates profile with SDS-PAGE (Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis), and anti-cholesterol assay through HMG-CoA reductase inhibition tests. The sample with the highest inhibition activity was fractionated using gel filtration chromatography (Sephadex G-10) and the molecular weight of fractions was characterized by LCMS QTOF (Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Quadrupole Time-of-Flight) for molecular weight determination. The results indicated the optimum hydrolysis conditions of soy protein isolates were obtained at 3 hours incubation, at 50 °C with DH 33.39% and the inhibition value was 95.65% (protein concentration 39.21 μg / mL). LCMS data showed the molecular weight of fractionated peptides were 1514 and 2029 Da. We assumed that both peptides have the same affinity as previous peptides in inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase.

Comparative EPR Study on the Scavenging Effect of Methotrexate with the Isomers of Its Photoswitchable Derivative

The scavenging effect of the antimetabolite dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor methotrexate (MTX) and the isomers of its photoswitchable derivate, cis- and trans-phototrexate (PHX), have been compared by ESR spectroscopy, with the application of a cyclic hydroxylamine spin probe. The results showed the most pronounced scavenging effect in the presence of trans-phototrexate (trans-PHX). At a low concentration (100 µM) cis-PHX also showed a greater scavenging effect than the parent molecule MTX. Direct antioxidant properties of the investigated molecules were measured by ABTS scavenging assay, which showed no significant difference between trans-PHX and cis-PHX, but both of the isomers of PHX showed a higher antioxidant capacity than MTX. These findings imply that trans-PHX may have more pronounced anti-inflammatory and tissue-protective effects than MTX, despite the lack of its cytotoxic, antineoplastic effect.