Abstract
Deer antlers are the only mammalian appendage capable of regeneration. We aimed to investigate the effect of red deer antler extract in regulating hair growth, using a mouse model. The backs of male mice were shaved at eight weeks of age. Crude aqueous extracts of deer antler were prepared at either 4°C or 100°C and injected subcutaneously to two separate groups of mice (n = 9) at 1 mL/day for 10 consecutive days, with water as a vehicle control group. The mice skin quantitative hair growth parameters were measured and 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine was used to identify label-retaining cells. We found that, in both the 4°C and the 100°C deer antler aqueous extract-injection groups, the anagen phase was extended, while the number of BrdU-incorporated cells was dramatically increased. These results indicate that deer antler aqueous extract promotes hair growth by extending the anagen phase and regulating cell proliferation in the hair follicle region.
Highlights
Deer antlers are the only bony structures in mammals that completely regenerate every year, and velvet is the epidermis covering the inner structure of the growing bone and cartilage, which develops into antler
The most important components are insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) that we detected in our previous research [6]
Based on previous studies investigating the effect of deer antler on wound healing [10], we found that deer antler extract accelerated hair growth by enhanced IGF-1 expression in wound healing skin [13]
Summary
Deer antlers are the only bony structures in mammals that completely regenerate every year, and velvet is the epidermis covering the inner structure of the growing bone and cartilage, which develops into antler. Traditional medical reports and clinical observations suggest that antler velvet is composed of many components, such as chondroitin sulfate, estrone, estradiol, prostaglandins [2], 416 unique proteins such as vimentin [3], and growth factors including insulin-like growth factor1 [4], and epidermal growth factor [5]. The most important components are insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) that we detected in our previous research [6]. These growth factors increase the rate of cell division, indicating a possible role in cell regeneration and repair processes in humans [7]. We coincidentally observed that deer antler extract seemed to have a stimulatory effect on hair regrowth
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