Advanced Inhibition of Undesired Human Hair Growth by PPARγ Modulation?

The study explored the potential of GMG-43AC, a selective PPARγ modulator, to inhibit unwanted human hair growth by inducing premature hair follicle (HF) regression (catagen) while preserving HF epithelial progenitor cells. GMG-43AC was tested on organ-cultured HFs from a female patient, showing a significant increase in catagen phase HFs and upregulation of keratins K15 and K19, indicating a positive impact on HF progenitor cells. Additionally, GMG-43AC demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties by preventing IL-6 expression in normal human keratinocytes exposed to inflammatory stimuli. The findings suggested that GMG-43AC could be a promising candidate for managing hirsutism and potentially treating cicatricial alopecia like lichen planopilaris due to its anti-inflammatory and stem cell-protective effects.