Abstract
Growth factors are involved in the regulation of hair morphogenesis and cycle hair growth. The present study sought to investigate the hair growth promoting activities of three approved growth factor drugs, fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF-10), acidic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-1), and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), and the mechanism of action. We observed that FGFs promoted hair growth by inducing the anagen phase in telogenic C57BL/6 mice. Specifically, the histomorphometric analysis data indicates that topical application of FGFs induced an earlier anagen phase and prolonged the mature anagen phase, in contrast to the control group. Moreover, the immunohistochemical analysis reveals earlier induction of β-catenin and Sonic hedgehog (Shh) in hair follicles of the FGFs-treated group. These results suggest that FGFs promote hair growth by inducing the anagen phase in resting hair follicles and might be a potential hair growth-promoting agent.
Highlights
Hair is considered accessory structure of the integument along with sebaceous glands, sweat glands, and nails
At 2 weeks, three fibroblast growth factor (FGF) induced black coloration in the shaved skin of C57BL/6 mice significantly; fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF-10) group showed the most black coloration, while very less visible hair growth and black coloration were observed in control group (Figure 1(a))
Finasteride has been reported to be efficacious for androgenic alopecia patients, but it is not recommended for female patients [25]
Summary
Hair is considered accessory structure of the integument along with sebaceous glands, sweat glands, and nails. Hair follicle morphogenesis requires the intricately controlled regulation of apoptosis, proliferation, and differentiation. Hair follicles are miniorgans that, during postnatal life, cycle through periods of anagen (growth phase), catagen (regression phase), and telogen (resting phase) [1, 2]. Hair loss is generally not a life-threatening event, but the number of patients suffering from it has increased dramatically. Hair loss takes impact on social interactions and patients’ psychological well beings. There are only two anti-hair loss drugs, finasteride and minoxidil, which have been used in clinical, but the effect of these drugs is limited, transient, and somewhat unpredictable [3]. It is urgent to develop novel pharmacological treatments
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