Assessment of Human Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2 Related Factor 2 (NRF2) in Androgenetic Alopecia in Egyptian Men

Abstract

ndrogenetic alopecia (AGA) (male-pattern baldness) is characterized by follicular miniaturization and shrinking from terminal to vellus hair. Traditionally, this process is thought to progress gradually over a number of follicular cycles. It is a multifactorial disorder at which inherited genes and environmental factors are implicated as causative agents. Inflammation and oxidative stress at the level of dermal papilla cells in balding scalp are considered one of the most important factors in AGA development. All the factors, leading to an increase in ROS generation and/or a reduction in the antioxidant capacity, contribute to oxidative stress, which exposes the skin cells to the formation and accumulation of irreversibly damaged proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates and hence mutation and cell death. NRF2 is a master regulator of the antioxidant response which maintains redox homeostasis and protects cells from stressors, ROS, radiation and environmental toxins. It is a crucial for the scalp hair follicle for protection against the oxidative stress damage. It is widely expressed at HF epithelium, including the (matrix keratinocytes, inner root sheath, hair follicle pigmentary unit, outer root sheath, the bulge region, as well as the dermal papilla (DP), and the mesenchymal connective tissue sheath.