Abstract
Summary
Inclusion of 0.1% NaF in the diet of rats resulted in the retardation of the growth of hair and in smaller hairs. Underfeeding, so that the gain in weight was similar to that when NaF was included in the diet, did not produce a similar reduction in the size of the hair.
Intraperitoneal injections of NaF affected the growth of the hair and caused a narrowing of the hair for a short interval. The medulla of this interval consisted of fewer cells. The medullary cells also often failed to shrink, resulting in little intercellular space between them. In addition, the intraperitoneal injections caused the formation of granules in the cortex. Since, NaF is commonly accepted as an inhibitor of acid phosphatase, 6 it may be that NaF affects hair growth through inhibition of this enzyme.
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