Serum activities of anti-oxidant enzymes and possible involvement of genetic factor in androgenetic alopecia in male Nigerian subjects

Iyanda A.A.

Department of Chemical Pathology, College of Health Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo.

E–mail: lapeiyanda@yahoo.com   

Accepted 04 June, 2012

Abstract

Various environmental factors which prone an individual to oxidative stress have been linked with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) but the result outcome of various studies emanating from different regions has not consistently confirmed such association, an indication that there may be race involvement. The aim of this study therefore is to identify using antioxidant enzymes as indices of study if AGA is oxidative stress-induced in Nigerian subjects exposed to cigarette smoke and alcohol. Androgenetic alopecia subjects exposed to cigarette smoke, alcohol consuming or non-smoking/non-alcohol consuming were used for the study with each group comprising 30 subjects while 40 subjects served as the control.  Serum activities of catalase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were estimated, data were also obtained on age, durations of alopecia, smoking and alcohol consumption as well as family history of AGA (maternal and paternal). Results revealed that serum activities of both catalase and superoxide dismutase were significantly different (p<0.05) in the smoking and alcohol consuming group compared with control while that of glutathione peroxidase was significantly different in smokers (p<0.05) but not in alcohol consuming group (p>0.05). An analysis of family history showed that greater than 75% of the subjects had family history of AGA. Moreover, correlation study identified a relationship between smoking and duration of alopecia and two of the antioxidant indices, although alcohol consumption was positively correlated with superoxide dismutase but there was no correlation between it and alopecia. Our findings suggest that both smoking and family history of alopecia but not alcohol consumption seem to play a role in the pathogenesis of alopecia and that smoking-induced AGA may be oxidative stress induced.

Keywords: Serum activities, anti-oxidant enzymes, genetic factor, androgenetic alopecia, male Nigerian.