Abstract
BackgroundHominis Placenta (HP) known as a restorative medicine in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been widely applied in the clinics of Korea and China as an anti-aging agent to enhance the regeneration of tissue. This study was conducted to investigate whether topical treatment of HP promotes hair regrowth in the animal model.MethodsThe dorsal hairs of 8-week-old C57BL/6 mice were depilated to synchronize hair follicles to the anagen phase. HP was applied topically once a day for 15 days. Hair growth was evaluated visually and microscopically. The incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), fibroblast growth factor-7 (FGF-7) in dorsal skin tissue was examined by immunohistochemical analysis. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to measure the mRNA expression of FGF-7.ResultsHP exhibited potent hair growth-promoting activity in C57BL/6 mice. Gross examination indicated that HP markedly increased hair regrowth as well as hair density and diameter. Histologic analysis showed that HP treatment enhanced the anagen induction of hair follicles.Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that BrdU incorporation and the expressions of PCNA were increased by treatment of HP. HP treatment significantly increased the expression of FGF-7, which plays pivotal roles to maintain anagen phase both protein and mRNA levels.ConclusionsTaken together, our results indicate that HP has a potent hair growth-promoting activity; therefore, it may be a good candidate for the treatment of alopecia.
Highlights
Hominis Placenta (HP) known as a restorative medicine in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been widely applied in the clinics of Korea and China as an anti-aging agent to enhance the regeneration of tissue
Primary antibodies specific for bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), fibroblast growth factor-7 (FGF-7), ß-actin were purchased from Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc. (Santa Cruz, CA, USA)
Hair diameter was larger in the HP- and 5 % minoxidil-treated mice than in the mice treated with normal saline (Fig. 3a, c)
Summary
Hominis Placenta (HP) known as a restorative medicine in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been widely applied in the clinics of Korea and China as an anti-aging agent to enhance the regeneration of tissue. In a vast majority of cases, hair loss is attributable to hormones and genetic factors [1, 2]; other factors, such as autoimmune diseases, medications, and physiologic and psychological stresses have been linked to hair loss [3,4,5]. These causative factors can alter the hair follicle cycle. Each hair follicle, which produce hair shafts, undergo successive cycles consisting of anagen (growing phase), catagen (transitional phase), and telogen (resting phase). The complex molecular interactions between the cells of the hair follicle are not fully understood and the exact cause of alopecia has not been elucidated [8]
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