Abstract

BackgroundVernonia anthelmintica (L.) willd is a traditional urgur herb in China for a long history. Its alcohol extract (AVE) has been proved to promote hair follicle growth in C57BL/6 mice. We conducted this study to investigate the hair-growth effects of AVE in stressed mice and its possible mechanism of action.MethodsThe hair-follicle growth effects of AVE were examined by in vivo and in vitro study. We exposed C57BL/6 male mice to chronic restraint stress to induce murine hair follicle growth inhibition. The effects of AVE were examined by histological analysis, immunofluorescence for Ki67 and cytokeratin 19 immunoreactivity, western blot assay in tyrosinase and related proteins expressions and immunofluorescence for nerve fibers. In organ culture of mouse vibrissae follicles, we used substance P as a catagen-inducing factor of hair follicle growth, and measured the elongation of hair shafts and expression of neurokinin-1 receptor protein by application of AVE.ResultsOur results showed that AVE counteract murine hair follicle growth inhibition caused by chronic restraint stress via inducing the conversion of telogen to anagen and inhibiting catagen premature, increasing bulb keratinocytes and bulge stem cells proliferation, promoting melanogenesis, and reducing the numbers of substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide nerve fibers. Furthermore, AVE also counteracted murine hair follicle growth inhibition caused by substance P in organ culture.ConclusionThese results suggest that AVE counteract stress-induced hair follicle growth inhibition in C57BL/6 mice in vivo and in vitro, and may be an effective new candidate for treatment of stress-induced hair loss.

Highlights

  • Vernonia anthelmintica (L.) willd is a traditional urgur herb in China for a long history

  • The murine skin color was pink in the telogen phase on day 1 after depilation, and became dark when entering into anagen

  • We observed murine skin color turned black in the Alcohol extract of Vernonia anthelmintica willd (AVE)+ restraint stress (AR) and 5%minoxidil+ restraint stress (MR) group on day 12 after depilation, which was similar in the control group (CTRL) group

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Summary

Introduction

Vernonia anthelmintica (L.) willd is a traditional urgur herb in China for a long history. Its alcohol extract (AVE) has been proved to promote hair follicle growth in C57BL/6 mice. We conducted this study to investigate the hair-growth effects of AVE in stressed mice and its possible mechanism of action. Hair follicle is an important skin appendage, which displays a hair cycle with three periods of active growth (anagen), degenerative (catagen), and relative resting (telogen) [8, 9]. Other from human, melanocytes of C57BL/6 mice only locate in the hair bulb region, the dorsal skin color appears to be pink in telogen and changes to be black in the anagen stage [10]. Hair follicles of C57BL/ 6 mice appears ideally suited to study hair follicle and screen hair growth promoting agents

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