L10.    Evaluation of androgens and cholesterol in the scalp hair and plasma of patients with male-pattern baldness before and after finasteride.
Woo-Young Sim, Bark-Lynn Lew, Hye Kyung Ryu*, Kyung Mee Kim*, Bong Chul Chung*; Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, *Bioanalysis and Biotransformation Research Center, KIST, South Korea.

Finasteride, a competitive inhibitor of 5alpha-reductase II enzyme, is widely used as a medical treatment for patients with male-pattern baldness (MPB), which is affected by the distribution of androgenic steroids. To study the effect of finasteride, androgenic steroids and cholesterol in the vertex and occipital scalp hair and in the plasma of patients with MPB were quantified. The patients with MPB, aged 23-52 years, were treated to 1 mg daily of finasteride for 5 months. The hair and plasma samples were hydrolyzed, extracted with n-pentane, and derivatized with MSTFA:NH4I:DTE (1000:4:5, v/w/w). We analyzed the concentrations of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and testosterone (T) in the hair and plasma using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In the case of the hair, the ratio of DHT/T was decreased in the vertex scalp hair after the individual received the finasteride dosage (p < 0.005). However, we found no significant difference in the ratio of DHT/T in the occipital scalp hair before and after the individuals received the finasteride dosage. Like the results in the vertex scalp hair, the ratio of DHT/T in the plasma was remarkably decreased after finasteride dosage (p < 0.001). Interestingly, cholesterol was increased after finasteride in the hair of vertex and occipital scalp (p < 0.001) . This study supports the effect of finasteride in patients with MPB by the examination of decreased level of DHT/T on scalp hair and in plasma.