Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference

nsf-logo[1]

Development of Avicequinone Analogs to Treat Androgenic Alopecia

Undergraduate #5
Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Biochemistry (not Cell and Molecular Biology and Genetics)

Dirk Glen Jr. - Howard University
Co-Author(s): How Tug and Woraanong Prugsakij, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand


Androgenic Alopecia is the genetic predisposed unnatural hair loss in humans and affects up to 60 to 70 % of the population worldwide. This condition is more prevalent in Men, affecting up to 50% by age 50 and up to 70% in later life. In this experiment we were attempting to identify the level of activity of Avicequinone Analogs to treat Androgenic Alopecia through the inhibitory mechanism of 5α-reductase. From the research we have gathered so far, we have high hopes for the inhibitory capabilities of WNK-6, a compound we synthesized. The research design tested the inhibitory effects of our experimental compounds against controls such as Dutasteride and testosterone in TLC gels. Dutasteride was used as a positive control, as it inhibits the production of DHT at a 1 to 1 ratio. The results from the TLC gel were inconclusive because of the lack of testosterone in our experimental compounds column. The inconclusiveness of this experiment points to error that could have been made during the RT-PCR phase of the experiment, whether it was improper annealing of the RNA, or error in synthesis of the cDNA. Further research will aim to eliminate error in data collection that could have led to inconclusive results. Also, fine-tuning a more effective method in the phases of testing could also lead to more conclusive results.

Funder Acknowledgement(s): This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HRD-1238466. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Faculty Advisor: Tiffany Lathan,

nsf-logo[1]

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. DUE-1930047. Any opinions, findings, interpretations, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of its authors and do not represent the views of the AAAS Board of Directors, the Council of AAAS, AAAS’ membership or the National Science Foundation.