P02 Accelerated ageing of hair follicles in androgenetic alopecia.

This article focuses on investigating accelerated ageing in hair follicles affected by androgenetic alopecia (AGA), a condition characterized by hair loss in specific scalp regions while sparing occipital follicles. The study measured biological age through methylation of ageing-associated genes and conducted transcriptomic analysis of dermal papilla (DP) cells from frontal and occipital follicles in patients undergoing hair transplantation. Results showed that frontal follicles and their DP exhibit significantly higher biological age and altered gene expression, including increased levels of EGR1, HSPB1, DNAJB1, and APOD, alongside decreased expression of the transcriptional repressor TRPS1. These findings suggest that accelerated ageing in frontal follicles may be partly driven by changes in TRPS1-regulated signalling, contributing to follicle miniaturization seen in AGA.