Effectiveness of Apheresis Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection for Androgenic Alopecia (PRP-AGA)

Effectiveness of Apheresis Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection for Androgenic Alopecia: A Single-Arm Trial

This study was retrospectively registered. The goal of this single-arm, single-center, prospective clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of autologous apheresis platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (AGA). The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Is apheresis PRP effective in improving hair growth outcomes in male patients with AGA?
• Is treatment response associated with key variables, including patient age, number of treatment sessions, baseline severity, and PRP cellular composition?
• Does PRP injection lead to any serious adverse events in the treatment of AGA? Researchers will record the effectiveness and adverse events following autologous apheresis PRP treatment for AGA and perform statistical analyses to evaluate treatment outcomes and their correlates with the variables of interest.

Participants will:

• Receive 3 to 5 sessions of autologous apheresis PRP injections into the scalp at intervals of 3-5 weeks.
• Have standardized photographs of the scalp taken from four angles (frontal, vertex, and bilateral sides) prior to each PRP injection.
• Attend a follow-up clinic visit or complete a telephone assessment one month after the final PRP injection.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Androgenic Alopecia
• Intervention / Treatment: Biological: Autologous Apheresis PRP Injection

Detailed Description

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a progressive condition with limited optimal therapeutic options. While platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy has been explored, the apheresis technique offers a distinct method of PRP preparation that yields higher platelet purity and more consistent cellular composition compared to conventional centrifugation methods. This study is specifically designed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of this autologous apheresis PRP and identify key predictors. Given the exploratory nature of this investigation aimed at generating preliminary efficacy and safety data for a specific PRP preparation method, a single-arm design was chosen.

The apheresis procedure was performed using a closed-system blood cell separator according to the manufacturer's standardized protocol. All injections were uniformly administered following a strict procedural guideline.

The primary endpoint, change in the BASP classification, was assessed by independent, blinded physicians. The associations between treatment response and key variables, including age, number of sessions, baseline severity, and PRP cellular composition were explored through correlation and regression models.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 201
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Sichuan
    • Chengdu, Sichuan, China, 610036
      • The General Hospital of Western Theater Command

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• History of hair loss for more than 6 months
• Diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) based on the Chinese guideline for diagnosis and treatment of AGA
• In good general health with a body weight ≥ 50 kg
• No history of hypertension, diabetes, platelet dysfunction, or any other contraindication to PRP apheresis
• No use of finasteride, minoxidil, or any other treatment for hair loss within the 6 months preceding enrollment
• No recent use of glucocorticoids (topical to treatment site for 1 month; systemic for 2 weeks) prior to PRP apheresis
• No recent use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (within 48 hours) prior to PRP apheresis

• Blood tests within 2 weeks before PRP apheresis meeting the following criteria:

  1. Hemoglobin concentration > 120 g/L
  2. Hematocrit 0.30 to 0.50
  3. Platelet count > 110 × 10^9/L
  4. No clinically significant abnormalities in inflammation, coagulation, or electrolyte panels

Exclusion Criteria:

• Concurrent use of finasteride, minoxidil, or other hair growth treatments during the PRP treatment phase of the study
• Failure to complete a minimum of 3 consecutive PRP treatment sessions as per the study protocol
• Failure to complete the required follow-up assessments for any reason

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Autologous Apheresis PRP Injection; All enrolled participants will receive autologous apheresis platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections into the scalp according to the defined protocol. This is the only arm in this single-arm trial.

Biological: Autologous Apheresis PRP Injection; Autologous PRP was prepared using a closed-system blood cell separator with disposable blood cell collection consumables, following the manufacturer's standardized protocol. Using a 30-gauge sterile needle, PRP was administered via intradermal and subcutaneous injections at multiple points across the treatment area, with an injection volume of 0.05 mL per point at intervals of approximately 0.5 cm. Participants received 3 to 5 sessions of autologous apheresis PRP injections into the scalp at intervals of 3-5 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Response Based on the Basic and Specific (BASP) classification	The proportion of participants achieving a positive response, defined as an improvement of at least one grade in either the Basic or Specific component of the BASP system, as assessed by blinded, independent physicians on standardized photographs after PRP treatment compared to baseline. As the protocol allows for 3 to 5 injection sessions at intervals of 3 to 5 weeks, the 'End of Treatment' visit occurs on a variable calendar date, falling between Week 9 and Week 25 after the first injection. This design ensures that the assessment captures the cumulative effect of the complete, individualized treatment course for each participant.	Baseline (pre-first injection) and End of treatment (pre-final injection, ranging from Week 9 to Week 25)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Patient-Reported Improvement Questionnaire	Patient-reported outcomes will be assessed using a four-item questionnaire covering hair quality, hair thickness, hair loss reduction, and overall satisfaction. Responses are recorded on a 3-point scale: -1 (deteriorated/dissatisfied), 0 (unchanged/neutral), +1 (improved/satisfied). The outcome will be reported as the proportion of participants reporting an improvement (score of +1) for each individual item.	At 1 month after treatment completion
Incidence of treatment-related adverse events.	The frequency and severity of all treatment-related adverse events that occur during the treatment and follow-up period. The incidence will be calculated as the number and percentage of participants experiencing at least one treatment-related adverse event, as well as the number of individual adverse event occurrences.	From first treatment to 1 month after last treatment, up to 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: zhang li

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): December 12, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 30, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 9, 2026
• First Posted (Estimated): January 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 20, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 15, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Androgenetic Alopecia; Platelet-Rich Plasma
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathological Conditions, Anatomical; Skin Diseases; Hypotrichosis; Hair Diseases; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Alopecia
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2023xjsxxm-28

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: The individual participant data (IPD) underlying the results of this single-center, investigator-initiated trial are not publicly available due to restrictions in the informed consent documents, which do not explicitly permit public data sharing. Aggregated data supporting the main findings are available within the published article or from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No