Activin B Promotes Initiation and Development of Hair Follicles in Mice

In the 2013 study, activin B was found to significantly promote the initiation and development of hair follicles in mice. The application of activin B at concentrations of 5 and 10 ng/ml to the dorsal skin of neonatal mice induced a faster transition of hair follicles to the mature anagen stage compared to a PBS control, with 96% of activin-B-treated follicles reaching a mature stage seven days after birth versus 66% for PBS. The study also showed that activin B can maintain hair follicles in the anagen stage and that a higher concentration of 50 ng/ml did not enhance this effect. No significant sex differences were observed in the response to activin B. The research involved 40 adult and 35 neonatal mice, with groups of 10 mice each treated with varying concentrations of activin B or PBS three times daily for 17 days. These findings suggest that activin B could be a potential therapeutic target for hair growth and follicle regeneration.