The Efficacy and Safety of Topical Valproic Acid in Preventing Hair Loss

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2012-06-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: Male

Summary

Beta-catenin, the transducer of Wnt signaling, is critical in development, growth, and regeneration of hair. In the absence of Wnt signals, cytoplasmic β-catenin is maintained at low level through regulation by GSK-3, multifunctional serine/threonin kinase. After phosphorylation by GSK-3, β-catenin is ubiquitinated and degraded in cytoplasm. Therefore, inhibition of GSK-3 is able to increase β-catenin in nucleus and would be able to induce growth of hair. Valproic acid (VPA) is an anticonvulsant and mood-stabilizing drug used for decades and is known to inhibit the GSK-3β. However, the effect of VPA on hairs has not been studied yet.

• Phase: Phase 2
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Seoul National University Hospital
• Collaborator: Amorepacific Corporation
• Treatments: Valproic Acid

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• age: 19 years ~ 45 years

• subjects with AGA (Hamilton&Norwood grad III~IV)

• subjects who are able to be followed for next 24 weeks.

Exclusion Criteria:

• subjects with severe medical problems including cardiovascular diseases, renal problems, and chronic metabolic disease

• subjects with AGA treated with surgical methods (hair TPL)

• subjects who has ever applied minoxidil in recent 3 months or has taken finasteride or dutasteride in recent 6 months.

• subjects who took medicine which can affect the hair growth

• subjects with alopecia other than AGA