Troy-Lynn wrote:
>I have noticed fewer adrenal hairloss patterns since I started adding
>melatonin to their recipe a few years ago, though I'm not sure if this
>could be age-related (for several years I had mainly 5+ yr olds and
>now there is a wide age range).

Melatonin also has a dermal affect which can grow fur -- which is one
reason why regrowth of fur from giving melatonin can't be taken as an
indication that it is tackling underlying adrenal disease well enough.

Abstract:
BEGIN QUOTE

J Histochem Cytochem. 1996 Apr;44(4):377-87.

Transforming growth factor-alpha immunoreactivity during induced hair
follicle growth cycles in sheep and ferrets.

Nixon AJ, Broad L, Saywell DP, Pearson AJ.
AgResearch, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand.

Transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) has been associated with
cell proliferation of keratinocytes and implicated in hair growth. We
therefore examined changes in the immunocytochemical localization of
TGF-alpha and cell proliferation markers in the skin of two unrelated
species in which hair cycles could be induced, to elucidate the role of
this growth factor in the control of fiber growth. Skin was collected
from melatonin-treated ferrets (Mustela putorius furo), untreated
Romney sheep (Ovis aries), and New Zealand Wiltshire sheep in which
interruption of wool growth had been photoperiodically induced.
Immunostaining patterns were very similar in ferrets and sheep.
TGF-alpha immunoreactivity was observed in epithelial tissues of the
skin but was not co-localized with cell proliferation markers. In
anagen follicles, specific staining was most intense in the innermost
cells of the outer root sheath and cortical cells in the keratogenous
zone but was absent from inner root sheath or dermal papilla. TGF-alpha
immunostaining diminished during catagen, although faint staining was
retained in all epithelial cells. In telogen and early proanagen
follicles, staining remained faint or was restricted to cells on the
margin of the brush end and follicle neck. Immunoreactivity in the
outer root sheath was reestablished in late proanagen. Sebaceous
glands and epidermis were stained intensely throughout the hair cycle.
TGF-alpha-immunoreactive components of skin extracts, analyzed by
Western blotting, showed mobility corresponding to approximately 32 KD,
but not to the size of the fully cleaved peptide. These results are
consistent with an epithelial autocrine or juxtacrine, but not a
mitogenic, function of TGF-alpha.
PMID: 8601697 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

END QUOTE

Here is the URL of the free pdf of the full article:

http://www.jhc.org/cgi/reprint/44/4/377

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 5730]