5α-Reductase Activity in Cultured Human Dermal Papilla Cells from Beard Compared with Reticular Dermal Fibroblasts

The activity of 5α -reductase was assessed in cultured human beard dermal papilla cells and reticular dermal fibroblasts to elucidate the mechanism of androgen action in promoting the growth of beards in men. The monolayer was incubated with 50nM of [1,2-3H]-testosterone. Steroids were extracted from the medium and analyzed by thin layer chromatography. The major metabolite in the beard dermal papilla cells was dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the most potent androgen in the androgen target tissue. By contrast, the amount of DHT formed was similar to that of androstenedione in reticular dermal fibroblasts. The 5α-reductase activity in beard dermal papilla cells was three to five times as high as that in the reticular dermal fibroblasts from the same skin sample. The apparant Michaelis constant of 5α-reductase in the beard dermal papilla cells was 1.0 × 10−6 M, which was virtually equivalent to that of genital skin fibroblasts, typical androgen target cells. It was 4.0 × 10−5 M in reticular dermal fibroblasts. By contrast, the activities of 5α-reductase in dermal papilla cells from occipital scalp hair follicles were similar to those of reticular dermal fibroblasts of the same skin samples. These results strongly suggest that the beard dermal papilla cell is an androgen target cell, and that DHT plays a role in the growth of beards in men