| Author | Message | ||
     Downunder |
My question here arises from discussions with S.Foote on the subject of lymph system. Tom also has a keen interest in the lymph.system. I refer to an old article http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v7/n2/full/nm0201_199.html An overview is that mice were manipulated to create a model for lymphedema. They bread mice that had no lymphatic vessels in the transgenic mice. They were able to replicate lymphedema with older mice showed thickening of the skin, dermal fibrosis and increased deposition of subcutaneous fat. There was comment that " These mice appeared healthy and fertile and had a normal lifespan, but histological examination of the skin revealed a thickened dermis and subcutaneous layer" There seems to be no mention of hair loss in the mice. So for those who may be motivated enough to read the article, I was interested on any comments regarding the importance of the lymph system to hair loss. Some areas to comment on In the mouse and also in people who have lymphodema (lipedematous scalp) do not always loose their hair. So is the lymph system function a critical component of MPB? (would DHT not accumulate in the scalp) If the lymph.sys declines, where is the thickening of skin and increased deposition of seb.fat from the fluid build-up caused by poor flows? In models such as the hydraulic theory, is there another component influencing the system or just lymph.efficiency and DHT? I am interested in any comments, especially on the role of lymph.sys in MPB. (by the way I do think it has a key role). Please do not highlight we are not mice, this is just a topic to get people thinking. | ||
| bumblebee |
well, slightly off-topic, but you did get me thinking i've been studying strokes, and, following ischaemia to the brain (blood supply cut off to a region by a clot of some kind), white blood cells move in to destroy the dead tissue. ordinarily these do not enter the brain, due to the blood-brain barrier (a cellular wall around blood vessels, preventing entry of many things). as the BBB breaks down, Neutrophils are the first to enter, followed by the rest of the white blood cells. (i do have a point, bear with me) in response to the inflammation that they find there, they release NOS - Nitric Oxide Synthase, an enzyme that makes Nitric Oxide. in a stroke, this is a negative thing, because Nitric Oxide builds up to toxic levels. in peripheral tissue, however (ie the rest of the body, including the scalp), Nitric Oxide 'protects' the tissue by stimulating growth of capillary networks. It has this role in the scalp, and i think i've heard it said that this is why Rogaine might work. so the point is this - inflammation often accompanies hair loss - the scalp can often become red. the immune system responds in some manner. are Neutrophils involved, and if so, what do they do? or maybe someone else can put this information to better use  | ||
| S Foote. |
Hi Downunder. I think it is important to remember that i suggest the lymphatic falure in MPB, is just local to the MPB area. I think systematicaly DHT is increasing lymphatic efficiency. So i can't see a really accurate animal model for human MPB. Having said that, there is a rare genetic condition that produces poor lymph function in humans, and hair loss. This is quite an interesting article. http://www.lymphedemapeople.com/thesite/hypotrichosis_lymphedema.htm S Foote. | ||
| S Foote. |
I forgot i had this link with pictures as well. http://www.gfmer.ch/genetic_diseases_v2/gendis_detail_list.php?cat3=766 S Foote. |
