Prostaglandin

Like the dulcet tones from a West Side Story melody, “say it softly and it’s almost like praying….” Sort of. Not! But for millions and maybe billions of men – and the women who love them – controlling the stuff may be a whole lot better than such musical refrains. But before I get to the punch lines, perhaps I should tell you what prostaglandin actually is, and drill down on that one particular type that is the focus of today’s blog.

Trusty old Wikipedia: “A prostaglandin is any member of a group of lipid compounds that are derived enzymatically from fatty acids and have important functions in the animal body…They are mediators and have a variety of strong physiological effects, such as regulating the contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle tissue... They differ from hormones in that they are not produced at a discrete site but in many places throughout the human body. Also, their target cells are present in the immediate vicinity of the site of their secretion (of which there are many).” Like so what, dude, make your point. Okay, okay… let’s just talk about one form of prostaglandin… PGD₂ (aka prostaglandin D₂). “In mammalian organs, large amounts of PGD₂ are found in the brain, in mast cells and found nowhere else. It is critical to development of allergic diseases such as asthma.” Wikipedia. Dude, I’m falling asleep here! So what?! I’ll tell you “so what”! It may be part of the ultimate cure for male pattern baldness is “what”!

Cut to: extreme close-up; bald man’s head. Dermatologists, working at the University of Pennsylvania, noticed that PGD₂ was more concentrated in balding areas that in areas where hair was present. Ooooooh! Baby! Bad PGD₂, bad boy! If only we could make the PGD₂ stop, they thought. Okay, they’re not exactly there yet, but…: “The discovery that prostaglandins might be the catalyst that sets baldness in motion, was a surprise to the researchers, who ‘hadn't thought about prostaglandins in relation to hair loss,’ said [Penn research dermatologist George] Cotsarelis… From there, researchers were able to identify the receptor — the cellular landing dock — for D2, called GPR44. Find a way to block that receptor, or somehow thwart PGD2's path to it, and, voila! —baldness doesn't happen. That, say the researchers, will be their next effort — to try topical treatments that block the GPR44 receptor. They hope the same approach might help find treatments that prevent hair thinning in women.” Los Angeles Times, March 21^st. Hmmm… balding in women… hadn’t thought about that, he said vainly. “Next effort”? Damn!

“Male pattern baldness strikes 80% of men younger than 70, causing hair growth to thin in a distinctive pattern. Currently, just two medications, Monoxidil (marketed as Rogaine) and Finasteride (marketed as Propecia or Proscar), are available to combat hair loss.” LA Times. OK, Dekom, like why does this really matter? It’s not like this is about world peace (not the basketball player!) or ending starvation and civil war. Well maybe, but hear me out. If you are losing your hair, and well feeling less attractive about yourself, you might be quicker to anger, which causes strife, increases the probability of war – particularly when you picture legions of “quick-to-anger” men checking themselves out in the mirror – so curing baldness is a massive step to greater civility and global harmony. Men (and women) with hair have so much more to lose! And anyway, mammals rock!

I’m Peter Dekom, and perhaps the world would be better off with a hair-raising experience.