Evidence of Increased 3-Alpha-Androstanediol Glucuronide in Female Pattern Alopecia: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study Evaluating Ovarian, Adrenal, and Peripheral Androgens

May 2026 in “ International Journal of Dermatology ”

Arunesh Padmini Kathirvelu, Kabir Sardana, Lokesh Kumar Sharma, Ananta Khurana, Savitha Sharath

3-alpha-androstanediol glucuronide female pattern hair loss androgens ovarian androgens adrenal androgens peripheral androgens hyperandrogenism antiandrogen therapy 3α-diol G FPHL

TLDR Higher levels of 3α-diol G are linked to more severe female pattern hair loss.

This study investigated the role of 3α-androstanediol glucuronide (3α-diol G) as a marker of peripheral hyperandrogenism in female pattern hair loss (FPHL) among 44 Indian women with FPHL and 30 healthy controls. The results showed that women with FPHL had significantly higher levels of 3α-diol G compared to controls, with a mean of 8.43 nmol/L versus 4.23 nmol/L, respectively. This increase in 3α-diol G levels correlated with the clinical severity of FPHL, as measured by the Ludwig scale. The study concluded that 3α-diol G is a promising biomarker for assessing peripheral androgen activity in FPHL and could be useful for monitoring the effectiveness of antiandrogen therapy. The study also highlighted the high diagnostic accuracy of 3α-diol G, with an AUROC of 0.85, suggesting its potential utility in clinical practice.

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