{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T23:23:44Z","timestamp":1790810624842,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782864000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Persistent microinflammation in androgenetic alopecia (AGA) may contribute to hair follicle miniaturization, but whether scalp microbial dysbiosis serves as its trigger remains unclear. This study integrated clinical samples, an animal model, and\n                      <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                      experiments to investigate the scalp microbiome in AGA.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Scalp microbial samples were collected from four regions (frontal, vertex, temporal, occipital) of 12 AGA patients and 12 healthy controls (96 samples in total) and analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. An AGA mouse model was established using testosterone propionate to evaluate histopathology and skin microbiota. The effects of\n                      <jats:italic>Staphylococcus epidermidis<\/jats:italic>\n                      -derived phenol-soluble modulins PSM\u03b3 and PSM\u03b4 on human dermal papilla cell (HDPC) proliferation were assessed, and the effect of PSM\u03b4 on cell migration was also examined.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      AGA patients exhibited elevated overall scalp microbial richness and diversity, with a marked decrease in\n                      <jats:italic>Staphylococcus<\/jats:italic>\n                      abundance that was most pronounced in the frontal and vertex regions. The mouse model also displayed significant restructuring of the skin microbiota; however,\n                      <jats:italic>Staphylococcus<\/jats:italic>\n                      showed marked enrichment\u2014a direction opposite to that in humans. Together, these findings indicate that aberrant\n                      <jats:italic>Staphylococcus<\/jats:italic>\n                      abundance serves as a sensitive bio-indicator of the AGA pathological state. PSM\u03b4 significantly promoted HDPC proliferation in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, demonstrating a wider effective concentration window and milder action, and it also significantly enhanced cell migration.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      The dysregulation of\n                      <jats:italic>Staphylococcus<\/jats:italic>\n                      abundance is a key feature of scalp microbial dysbiosis in AGA. PSM\u03b4 possesses dual potential in modulating hair follicle cell activity and maintaining microecological homeostasis, providing new insights for microbiome-targeted interventions in AGA.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2026.1878609","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T10:38:09Z","timestamp":1782902289000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Scalp microbiome in male androgenetic alopecia: 16S rRNA sequencing-based clinical characterization, mouse model validation, and effects on hair follicle cells"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Lingyi","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Menghui","family":"Qin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Danyu","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kun","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tengfei","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yaoyao","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xin","family":"Yao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yingying","family":"Tian","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mengru","family":"Pang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University","place":["Guiyang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","article-title":"Male androgenetic alopecia","volume-title":"Endotext","author":"Asfour","year":"2023"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"16","DOI":"10.1111\/jocd.14983","article-title":"The psychological impact of androgenetic alopecia: a systematic review","volume":"22","author":"Aukerman","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. 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