Azelaic acid stimulates catalase activation and promotes hair growth through upregulation of Gli1 and Gli2 mRNA and Shh protein.
October 2020
in “PubMed”
TLDR Azelaic acid helps protect hair cells from UV damage and encourages hair growth by increasing certain gene expressions and proteins.
In 2020, a study was conducted on mouse vibrissae follicles to investigate the effects of azelaic acid and minoxidil on hair growth. The study found that azelaic acid significantly increased catalase activity in bulge cells, protecting them from UVB damage. It also upregulated the expression of Gli1 and Gli2 in these cells. Minoxidil, alone or combined with azelaic acid, led to overexpression of Shh protein in hair follicles. The combination of minoxidil (100 µM) and azelaic acid (25 mM) significantly increased the expression of Shh protein in both bulge and bulb cells. However, the combination did not elevate gene expression levels compared to minoxidil alone. The study concluded that azelaic acid stimulates catalase activation and promotes hair growth through upregulation of Gli1 and Gli2 mRNA and Shh protein.
View this study on pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov →
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