Hair Growth-promoting Effects Research Articles

Hair growth-promoting effect of Aconiti Ciliare Tuber extract mediated by the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling

AimsThe activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays an important role in hair follicle morphogenesis by stimulating bulge stem cells. This study was to obtain the activator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway from natural products and to determine whether this activator can induce anagen hair growth in mice. Main methodsTo identify materials that activate Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, 800 natural product extracts were screened using pTOPFlash assay and neural progenitor cell (NPC) differentiation assay. A selected extract was further tested for its effects on alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in human immortalized dermal papilla cell (iDPC) and the proliferation in iDPC and immortalized rat vibrissa DPC (RvDP). Finally, hair growth-promoting effects were evaluated in the dorsal skin of C57BL/6 mice. Key findingsAconiti Ciliare Tuber (ACT) extract was one of the most active materials in both pTOPFlash and NPC differentiation assays. It promoted the differentiation of NPC cells even under proliferation-stimulating conditions (basic fibroblast growth factor: bFGF). It also increased ALP activity and proliferation of iDPC in dose-dependent manners, and it stimulated the induction of the anagen hair growth in C57BL/6 mice. These results suggest that ACT extract activates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by enhancing β-catenin transcription and has the potential to promote the induction of hair growth via activation of the stem cell activity of the dermal papilla cells. SignificanceThis is the first report indicating benefits of ACT extract in hair loss prevention by triggering the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and induction of the anagen hair growth in mice.

찔레뿌리 추출물을 주성분으로 하는 천연물 조성물의 발모촉진 효과에 관한 전임상 및 임상시험 연구

In this study, to develop hair growth agents using natural products which has excellent ability to promote hair growth effect and fewer side effect, animal experiment and clinical trials was performed to evaluate hair growth promotion effect of herbal product containing Rosa multiflora roots extracts as a main component (RMHP). 4-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were removed the dorsal hair using thioglycolate, and applied 15% EtOH solution as a negative control, 5% minoxidil as a positive control and RMHP to dorsal skin. In the results of macroscopy and photo-interpretation, RMHP group recorded 100% (+++++) of hair growth was proved to significantly stimulate hair growth against 80% (++++) negative control group. 37 patients were treated with RMHP and evaluated the therapeutic effect at 16 weeks. Hair density was significantly increased at 16 weeks after applying RMHP (125.0 ± 4.9 FU/㎠) compared to before treatment (104.3 ± 4.7 FU/㎠, p < 0.05), and hair thickness were also significantly increased (0.066 ± 0.003 ㎜) than before treatment (0.055 ± 0.002 ㎜, p < 0.05). The result of clinical photo-interpretation using 7-point rating scale assessment, after 16 weeks clinical symptoms were evaluated to significantly improve with 1.23 ± 0.05 (p < 0.05). Therefore, the results of this study were observed that RMHP have hair loss prevention effect and hair growth promotion effect to hair loss patients.

Substantivity and After‐Rinsing Hair Growth Promotion of Cationic Microparticles of Minoxidil

Cationic minoxidil (MXD) particles were prepared by passing a suspension containing MXD and distearyldimethylammonium chloride (DSDMAC) through a high pressure microfluidizer, operating at 500 bar to 1000 bar. The size of the particles is a few micrometers and the surface charge was+42 mV to+44 mV. The cationic MXD particles were included in a hair cleansing shampoo, of which a major detergent is sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES). On an UV spectrophotometer, the turbidity of the cationic MXD particles suspension increased with increasing amount of the anionic surfactant. At the same time, the surface charge of the cationic MXD particles was neutralized around equi‐molar ratio of SLES/DSDMAC, and the value became negative in the excess amount of SLES. These mean that DSDMAC adsorbed on MXD particles is complexed with SLES in the hair shampoo by an ionic interaction. Interestingly, even though the MXD particles contained in a shampoo exhibited negative surface charge, the skin‐retentive amount of MXD was appreciable and the after‐rinsing hair growth promotion effect was remarkable. One of possible mechanisms is that SLES would be desorbed from the complexed MXD particles during the rinsing step, and the charge of the particles might change from a positive value to a negative one, leading to an ionic interaction between the cationic particles and negatively charged skin.

In vivo hair growth promotion effects of cosmetic preparations containing hinokitiol-loaded poly(ε-caprolacton) nanocapsules

Nanocapsules containing hinokitiol (HKL) were prepared by an emulsion-diffusion method. In an emulsification step in preparing nanocapsules, cetyltrimethylamonium chloride (CTAC) was employed as a cationic emulsifier, Poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL) was use as a wall material and HKL dissolved in octylsalicylate (OS) was used as a core material. The submicron-sized nanoparticle was observed on a TEM. The size ranged 55–234 nm and the mean diameters were 223 nm, which were determined by a dynamic light scattering method. According to the results of pH-dependent microelectrophoresis, the absolute value of the surface potential of the nanocapsules was greater than 20 mV. The nanocapsules were colloidally stable over the pH range of 3–11. The nanocapsules were included in two kinds of preparations, namely shampoo and hair tonic, and the preparations were applied every day for 3 weeks on the clipped backs of 6 week-old mouse (C57BL/6) to investigate the hair growth-promoting effect. The degree of hair growth was evaluated by image-analysing the photographs of the backs and, in parallel, by the histological observation of the formation and the growth of hair or hair bulbs. The results were compared with those of commercially available Minoxidil solution (3%). Phosphate buffered saline was used as a control. The in vivo hair growth-promoting effects of the two preparations were comparable to those of Minoxidil solution. These results are in a good agreement with the histological and structural changes of follicles of the model animals, of which skins were treated with either the testing samples or the control in the same way the experiments of in vivo hair growth promotion were performed.

After‐Rinsing Hair Growth Promotions of Hinokitiol‐Containing Vesicles and Emulsions

Two kinds of topical dosage forms of hinokitiol (HKL), namely vesicles and oil‐in‐water (O/W) emulsions, were prepared. Behenyl trimethylammonium chloride (BTMAC) and fatty acids were used as bilayer‐forming materials of the vesicles, and oils were employed as oil phases of the emulsions. The substantivity of HKL in the preparations was evaluated in vitro using hairless mouse skins. After applying the preparations onto the skin and rinsing it, the amount of HKL left on the skin was determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). It was higher when HKL was encapsulated in cationic vesicles rather than in nonionic vehicles, emulsions. An ionic interaction between the cationic vehicle and negatively charged skin is likely to account for the high substantivity. Among the emulsion preparations, an emulsion having octyl salicylate as oil phase exhibited the highest substantivity of HKL. This is probably because that the oil is a good solvent for HKL and it is skin‐retentive. In vivo hair growth‐promotion effect of each dosage form was investigated, where the sample application onto the clipped backs of female mice (C57BL6) and the subsequent rinsing of the backs were done once a day for 30 days. Only HKL in the cationic vesicles had hair growth promotion effect, possibly due to the significant substantivity.

The hair growth promoting effect of Asiasari radix extract and its molecular regulation

Hair loss is a distressing condition for an increasing number of men and women. It is of great importance; therefore, to develop new therapies for the treatment of hair loss. We examined the effects of 45 plant extracts that have been traditionally used for treating hair loss in oriental medicine in order to identify potential stimulants of hair growth. Six-week-old female C57BL/6 and C3H mice were used for evaluating the hair growth-promoting effects of the plant extracts. Topical application onto the backs of the C57BL/6 and C3H mice was performed daily for 30 days and 45 days, respectively. Protein synthesis was measured by the cysteine uptake assay, using cultured murine vibrissae follicles. Proliferation of the immortalized human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) and human dermal papilla (DP) cells was evaluated by the MTT and thymidine incorporation assays. The mRNA levels of several growth factors that have been implicated in hair growth control were measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Among the tested plant extracts, the extract of Asiasari radix showed the most potent hair growth stimulation in C57BL/6 and C3H mice experiments. In addition, this extract markedly increased the protein synthesis in vibrissae follicle cultures and the proliferation of both HaCaT and human DP cells in vitro. Moreover, the A. radix extract induced the expression of VEGF in human DP cells that were cultured in vitro. These results suggest that the A. radix extract has hair growth-promoting potential, and that this effect may be due to its regulatory effects on both cell growth and growth factor gene expression.

Minoxidil-Containing Dosage Forms: Skin Retention and After-Rinsing Hair-Growth Promotion

Three kinds of topical dosage forms of minoxidil (MXD), namely vesicles, double emulsions, and an inclusion complex with hydoxypropyl- β-cyclodextrin (HP- β-CD), were prepared. The skin retention of MXD in the preparations was evaluated in vitro using hairless mouse skins. After applying the preparations onto the skin and rinsing it, the amount of the drug left on the skin was determined using HPLC. Retention was the highest when the drug was encapsulated in cationic vesicles. Nonionic vehicle, the double emulsion, and HP- β-CD left no significant amount of the drug after rinsing the skin. Thus, an ionic interaction between the cationic vehicle and negatively charged skin is likely responsible for the relatively high skin retention. In vivo hair growth-promotion effect of each dosage form was investigated, in which the sample application onto the clipped backs of female mice (C57BL6) and the subsequent rinsing of the backs were done once a day for 30 days. Only MXD in the cationic vesicles had hair growth promotion effect, possibly due to significant skin retention.