Small molecule
PubChem CID 57363
Finasteride
Propecia
- Mechanism of action
- 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor
- In plain language
- Blocks the enzyme that turns testosterone into a more potent hormone (DHT), which is what drives hair follicles to shrink in male pattern baldness.
- How it works
- Finasteride is a competitive, specific inhibitor of the Type II 5-alpha-reductase isoenzyme, which converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in tissues including the hair follicle. By blocking this conversion, finasteride produces a rapid and sustained reduction in serum and scalp DHT, approximately 65% suppression within 24 hours of a 1 mg dose. In androgenetic alopecia, balding scalp is characterized by miniaturized follicles and elevated local DHT relative to non-balding scalp; lowering DHT interrupts this miniaturization process in genetically predisposed men. Finasteride has no affinity for the androgen receptor itself and produces no direct androgenic, antiandrogenic, or estrogenic effects.
- Therapeutic applications
- Indicated for the treatment of male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) in men only, at a dose of 1 mg once daily. Efficacy in bitemporal recession has not been established, and the product is not indicated for use in women.
- Class
- Small molecule
- Therapeutic area
- Urology / Dermatology
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