Topical Roxithromycin as hair restoration reagent.

Arch Dermatol Res. 2008 Sep 27.
Roxithromycin antagonizes catagen induction in murine and human hair follicles: implication of topical roxithromycin as hair restoration reagent.
Ito T, Fukamizu H, Ito N, Seo N, Yagi H, Takigawa M, Hashizume H.

Department of Dermatology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan, itoutai@hama-med.ac.jp.

Roxithromycin (RXM) is a 14-member macrolide antibiotics, with a variety of bioregulatory functions including anti-apoptotic activity to keratinocytes. Therefore, RXM has been used for many kinds of skin diseases. In this study, human and murine hair follicles were treated with RXM in order to find the possibility to cure hair loss disease such as androgenetic alopecia (AGA). In AGA, dihydrotestosterone signals apoptosis in dermal papilla cells in susceptible individuals, resting in premature termination of anagen and early entry into catagen. Therefore, anti-apoptotitic drug has a possibility of new candidate for AGA. This study revealed RXM antagonized the in vitro inhibitory effect of IFN-gamma on proliferation of keratinocytes and induction of apoptosis in murine and human hair bulb. RXM increases hair elongation and inhibits catagen-like changes induced in vitro with IFN-gamma in murine and human hair follicles. Furthermore, topical 5% RXM solution effectively restores hair growth in about half of individuals with AGA without any local and systemic adverse effects. Therefore, RXM is new candidate as a hair restoration drug for AGA.

This isn't a new drug, yet it is not available in the USA, but it's used in Europe. This drug works by inhibiting cytokine production. I wouldn't be surprised if topical Ecklonia Cava worked just as well.

So, will this be developed into a commercial product anytime soon?

Would it be possible to add the substance to something else?

Misirlou - The clinical trial just completed, at least one of possibly many. It's not likely to be available commercially for a while. But you could make your own. It can be ordered on line or even a liquid version via a compounding pharmacy. If you're in Europe this should be easier to obtain than the USA. If not a liquid version, then a pill crushed and put into a solution, with the drug at a 5% concentration. This is for topical use only of course.

IH --

Interesting.

How would one make a 5% solution? I see the pill is available in 150mg size. What would you mix it with to penetrate? Could this be added into the topical or would it not mix correctly with that?

hadrion wrote:IH --

Interesting.

How would one make a 5% solution? I see the pill is available in 150mg size. What would you mix it with to penetrate? Could this be added into the topical or would it not mix correctly with that?

Hadrion--

BulkActives.com -- purchase DMI.

Go search for 4 oz. amber dropper bottles on Google, buy that.

4 oz = 113.4g, so 5% of that is 5.67g. That's how much of the pill to put in the solution. So, if each pill is 150mg, crush up 38 pills and then mix it into a Distilled Water solution with the DMI at about 8% (9.07g). I recommend getting yourself a digital scale that goes to the hundredths place, usually found for about $50 if you scour Google a bit.

I recently came across a medication called Periostat for the treatment of periodontitis. I don't know why, but I had never heard of Periostat before. Anyhow, Periostat works in gum disease by inhibiting MMP (and thus collagenase), thereby preventing gum involution. After a quick search, I was shocked to find out what Periostat actually was: micro-dose oxycycline! That's right, a tetracycline antibiotic. The amount of doxycycline in Periostat is low enough that it is unable kill bacteria. In this case, it acts by MMP-inhibition.
As I have posted in the past, minocycline has been touted by some doctors as an effective treatment for halting MPB (minocycline also inhibits MMP). I can attest to this, since I have tried it myself and found to be the most effective treatment that I've tried to date. However, full doses of minocycline did a number on my brain (headaches, etc.). I am wondering now if micro-doses of either doxycycline or minocycline would be effective in MPB. The low doses may also limit the extent of side-effects.
Here is the last sentence of the abstract below:

"....CONCLUSIONS: Cytokine- and EGF-induced upregulation of MMP-9 in the lower epithelial compartment of the human hair bulb is a major mechanism through which hair follicle involution, observed in alopecia, may occur."
Kevin Davis
Identification of clustered cells in human hair follicle responsible for MMP-9 gelatinolytic activity: consequences for the regulation of hair growth.
Int J Dermatol 2001 Jun; 40(6):385-92.
BACKGROUND: The control of human hair follicle growth and differentiation is dependent upon several well-identified factors, including androgens, cytokines, and growth factors. In humans, alopecia androgenetica is a common aging process thought to be regulated through complex genetic imbalances, which also involve several of these crucial identified factors (and probably others not yet characterized), alone or in combination. Among these factors, epidermal growth factor (EGF), as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines, play a pivotal role, as evidenced by their direct inhibitory effects on hair growth both in vitro and in vivo. Following such treatments, the in vitro growth of hair follicles was rapidly arrested and deleterious modifications of hair morphology were also observed.
AIM: Because these cytokines act, at least partly, through the induction of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), and because tissue remodeling occurs during the hair cycle, we attempted to identify and localize MMP in the human pilosebaceous unit. METHOD: We used zymography to observe human hair follicles in culture in vitro. RESULTS: We observed that human hair follicles in culture in vitro mainly and almost exclusively produce MMP-2 and MMP-9 gelatinolytic activities. Furthermore, after stimulation with EGF, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), or interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha), MMP-9 production was strongly increased.
Using immunohistochemistry, we then precisely localized MMP-9 in the lower part of the inner root sheath (Henle's layer) of control human anagen hair follicles. CONCLUSIONS: Cytokine- and EGF-induced upregulation of MMP-9 in the lower epithelial compartment of the human hair bulb is a major mechanism through which hair follicle involution, observed in alopecia, may occur.
*Kevin Davis is a frequent and valued contributor to internet newsgroups for hairloss.


Source:
http://www.hairloss-research.org/antibiotics.html

IH, as you know, I've been taking doxycycline for 14 days, 100mgs-2/day. It has, without question, stopped my hair loss. I can say this because I was doing shed counts in the shower of between 50-150 hairs to the day prior of the use of doxycycline. I now lose maybe..maybe 5 and sometimes none. I'd really like to take this for an extended period of time as a little experiment. IYPO, do you think this would be safe if I aimed for a lower dosage of, say, 25mgs for 3-6 months? This, of course, would be taken with a good quality probiotic and the rest of the Top 6.

Sprouts - Yes that would work out. I just mention as a side note that Ecklonia Cava according to a study is as effective as doxycycline. However, I'm not sure if that is in all categories, but interesting nonetheless.

While we are on the subject, several years ago, mounting research was suggesting that many systemic diseases were initialized by the bacteria present in the mouth--or more to the point, if you have bad gums, then you probably are on your way to insulin resistance, heart disease, etc.

Brushing your teeth each day can literally reinfect this bacteria right back into your mouth and gums.

It's very prudent if one has bad gum's to submerge their toothbrush into hydrogen peroxide to kill off the bacteria before you brush.

If you don't have bad gum's and get sick, the same applies. Dip it in hydrogen peroxide to kill the offending bacteria.

It's no surprise that diet and what is lingering in your gastrointestinal tract is a breeding ground for this bad bacteria.
When you eat food that was never intended for regular consumption, this constantly reinfects the mouth with bacteria.

Back in the good ol' bad days of nutrition, I remember having terrible breath and my GF at the time made sure that I rinsed my mouth out with a potent mouthwash morning and night. I also remember very vividly that my gums and teeth were not particularly healthy. I had used a very strong, prescription strength mouthwash to kill off the offending bacteria. This helped me, but I was ignorant of the fact that this was entirely a result of my diet. That was some 15 years ago.

What raises MMP levels? Mycotoxin contamination in food, particularly stored grains. This is why yeast foods and refined grains are such a disaster for hair.

Doxycycline does slow hair loss. I can confirm this.

However the problem is the second you go off of it, it starts up again.

So then you have to weigh the benefits/costs of taking a powerful antibiotic every single day for the rest of your life or for as long as you want to keep your hair.

I was on Doryx (doxycycline) for almost a year and took breaks from it. Whenever I took breaks, my hair loss was fast and furious and shedding increased.

I finally decided that I couldn't stay on it for the rest of my life and I switched to Fibroboost in the hopes it would do the job.

To be honest, Fibroboost is not as powerful as 100mg of Doryx, but it is effective. Just not, in my opinion, as effective as doxycycline.

Long term use of doxycycline can cause a lot of health problems, not to mention candida which I tested positive for while I was on Doryx.

I've been off it for months now and while my hair loss is not getting better, I'm feeling/looking better than I was while on Doryx.

I still have half a bottle of Doryx left and was thinking about trying it out as a topical.

Just don't know if I should crush a few and put them in IH's topical or do I have to do it a different way.

I purchased Rulide and will be using it at 5%.

nidhogge - This will be interesting. Note that according to the study, it mentions that it works for 50% of AGA.

Nid-

What do you say you let Sprouts, a fellow (way)upstate new yorker, go in on this with you? I'd be willing to send you money if you have any left over. Let me know. I'm definitely interested in giving this a fair run.

Sprouts--

Sure buddy, I have enough to make 2 coming. I have to have my friend order it though since I only have a MasterCard, and these generic pharm. sites usually requires Visa or American Express. I'll keep you posted!

CS--

That's great man, 50% is a pretty strong number. Going to be interesting to see how this works out!

Back in 2005 I read about RXM at hairsite (see links below) and I used it in 2006 when Lipoxidil (yeah I know) made it available. 2006 was a pretty good year for improvements in my hair, but can't say if RXM was the reason as I started a few new things in 2006. Here are some links:

http://www.hairsite4.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=33260&mode=full&page=25

http://www.hairsite4.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=35358&mode=full&page=15

http://www.hairsite4.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=36805&mode=full&page=6

gregslater - Thanks for this, good info!