LB821 Human hair follicle dermal papilla as an in vitro model to study stress-induced hair growth arrest

Abstract

Stress induced hair loss, such as Telogen Effluvium, has been growing in recent years, due to an increased environmental and psychological pressure. Stress is responsible for activating the HPA axis within the human hair follicle. Studies have shown that isolated human hair follicles secrete substantial levels of cortisol when activated by corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH). This activity is linked to hair growth arrest and a shift from anagen to catagen. However, the extreme variability of isolated hair follicles in response to either CRH or cortisol limits the investigation of possible therapeutics.