Abstract
Hair disorders may considerably impact the social and psychological well-being of an individual. Recent advances in the understanding the biology of hair have encouraged the research and development of novel and safer natural hair growth agents. In this context, we have previously demonstrated—at both preclinical and clinical level—that an Annurca apple-based dietary supplement (AMS), acting as a nutraceutical, is endowed with an intense hair-inductive activity (trichogenicity), at once increasing hair tropism and keratin content. Herein, in the framework of preclinical investigations, new experiments in primary human models of follicular keratinocytes and dermal papilla cells have been performed to give an insight around AMS biological effects on specific hair keratins expression. As well as confirming the biocompatibility and the antioxidant proprieties of our nutraceutical formulation, we have proven an engagement of trichokeratins production underlying its biological effects on human follicular cells. Annurca apples are particularly rich in oligomeric procyanidins, natural polyphenols belonging to the broader class of bioflavonoids believed to exert many beneficial health effects. To our knowledge, none of the current available remedies for hair loss has hitherto shown to stimulate the production of hair keratins so clearly.
Highlights
Throughout the keratinization process and hair fibers production, numerous keratins organize into protein filaments to participate in the assembly of the hair shaft within follicle bulbs [1,2,3]
In continuity with preclinical studies performed on HaCaT cells [24], selected bioscreens on human hair follicular keratinocytes (HHFK) and human hair dermal papilla cells (HHDPC) were performed in order to evaluate cell responses to AMS treatment
Bioscreens show a mild induction of cell growth and proliferation in both treated keratinocytes and dermal papilla cells with respect to untreated control cultures
Summary
Throughout the keratinization process and hair fibers production, numerous keratins organize into protein filaments to participate in the assembly of the hair shaft within follicle bulbs [1,2,3]. Among the different families and subfamilies of intermediate filaments (IF) proteins—representing the chemically stable basement of the most eukaryotic cytoskeletal systems—keratins are outstanding due to high molecular and functional diversity [6,7,8]. They are the typical intermediate filament-forming proteins of epithelial cells, providing mechanical support and a variety of essential biological functions at both cellular and Nutrients 2019, 11, 3041; doi:10.3390/nu11123041 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients. Within a large multigene family evolved over the range of millions of years, in humans 54 functional keratin genes are known, i.e., 28 type I (acidic) and 26 type II (basic to neutral) keratins, expressed in highly specific patterns based on epithelial cell and appendage type, as well as on cellular differentiation, making up two of the largest sequence homology groups of heteropolymeric filaments [10]
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