hair follicle associated microbiome. Microbiome in the hair follicle of androgenetic alopecia patients

Androgenetic alopecia is the most common form of hair loss in males. It is a multifactorial condition involving genetic predisposition and hormonal changes. The role of microflora in the pathogenesis remains to be well understood. The characterization of hair microbiome by 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing was performed on hair follicles extracted from occipital and vertex region of hair loss patients and healthy volunteers. Distinct microbial population were found in the middle and lower compartment of hair follicles. Middle hair compartment was predominated by Burkholderia while higher bacterial diversity was observed in lower hair compartment. Occipital and vertex hair follicles did not show significant differences in microbiome. Increased Priopionibacterium acnes abundance was associated with miniaturized hair follicles in concomitance with elevated immune response gene expression. The finding opens new treatment opportunities in alleviating the hair loss condition.