Hair Cycle-Specific Expression of Versican in Human Hair Follicles
May 2005
in “
Journal of Dermatological Science
”
Studysummary In this study, specific versican expression was observed in the anagen phase of human hair follicles, suggesting its importance in maintaining normal hair growth.
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In 2005, researchers found that versican, a proteoglycan, is expressed in the dermal papilla of anagen phase hair follicles and is important for maintaining normal hair growth. The study showed that versican expression is significantly reduced in vellus-like hair follicles affected by male pattern baldness, suggesting a link between decreased versican levels and hair loss. The study involved hair follicle samples from seven males and two females, with an average age of 36, and confirmed the down-regulation of versican in more than 15 vellus-like follicles from three individuals. The findings indicate that versican's diminished expression in the dermal papilla of vellus-like follicles is associated with androgenic alopecia and that altering versican isoform expression in dermal papilla cells could potentially restore their hair inductive ability.
