little is known about its mechanism of action [34].
There are several hypotheses regarding the pharmacological
activities of minoxidil, and one hypothesis is
that minoxidil regulates the expression of VEGF. The
importance of VEGF is strongly supported by Lachgar
et al. [35]. In 1998, these authors have demonstrated
that minoxidil upregulated the expression of VEGF in
normal human hair follicles, thereby promoting the
conservation of vascularization of hair dermal
papilla, which may contribute to the extension of
the anagen phase in androgenetic alopecia [35]. In
this regard, it is noteworthy that the A. radix extract
has the potential to increase the expression of VEGF
in DP cells.
Recently, the role of apoptosis in alopecia has
been investigated by several groups [1,36,37].
Finasteride, which is an inhibitor of type II 5areductase,
also influences caspase and XIAP