Essential oils and low-intensity electromagnetic pulses in the treatment of androgen-dependent alopecia.

This double-blind randomized study vs placebo in healthy male and female volunteers demonstrates the positive biologic effect on hair loss and hair regrowth of a pulsed electromagnetic field in combination with essential oils administered according to a regular treatment schedule of 26 weeks. Mean hair count comparisons within the groups significantly favor the treatment group, which exhibited a decrease in hair loss in 83% of the volunteers and a more than 20% hair count increase over baseline in 53% of patients. The process exhibited no side effects or untoward reactions. The histologic examination correlated with the clinical study. A parallel immunohistochemical examination showed an increase in the proliferation index, and when the expression of Ki67 (a cell proliferation marker) is increased, the mitoses are barely visible in the histologic examination. The rationale of this phenomenon is considered to be due to an electrophysiologic effect on the quiescent hair follicle.

Modulation of intracellular glutathione concentrations alters lymphocyte activation and proliferation.

Glutathione (GSH) has been implicated in lymphocyte activation and differentiation, as well as in protection from radiation damage. Since [3H]thymidine ([3H]TdR) at high concentrations in the nucleus causes radiation damage to the cells, it is important to rule out the possibility that changes in [3H]TdR uptake by mitogen-activated lymphocytes are not caused by 3H-induced cell injury following alterations in intracellular GSH concentration. In this study, flow-cytometric analysis of cell cycle was used to measure lymphocyte activation. Intracellular GSH levels were enhanced using 2-L-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylate (OTC) and 2-mercaptoethanol (2ME), which deliver cysteine intracellularly, and suppressed by buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) which inhibits gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase. Enhancement of intracellular GSH concentrations in lymphocytes with 2-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylate or 2-mercaptoethanol augments mitogen-induced lymphocyte activation, and proliferation, while suppression of intracellular GSH levels by buthionine sulfoximine inhibits the progression of cellular proliferation--but not activation, as measured by flow cytometry. There was a linear relationship between intracellular GSH concentration and conA-activated cells by flow cytometry and between GSH concentration and [3H]TdR incorporation as measured at 24 h. We conclude that alterations of intracellular GSH concentrations may be one way to modulate lymphocyte activation and differentiation.