CXCL12 inhibits hair growth through CXCR4

    June 2022 in “Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy
    TLDR CXCL12 protein slows down hair growth through its receptor CXCR4. Blocking this can potentially increase hair growth.
    The study found that the protein CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 play a significant role in hair growth and hair loss. CXCL12 is highly expressed in dermal fibroblasts during the catagen and telogen phases of the hair cycle, and its level increases in bald areas. The study showed that hair loss was induced by CXCL12 therapy, which delayed the telogen-to-anagen transition and decreased hair length. However, suppressing CXCL12 or inhibiting CXCR4 triggered the telogen-to-anagen transition and increased hair length. The study concluded that CXCL12 inhibits hair growth via the CXCR4/STAT signaling pathway, suggesting that inhibitors of the CXCL12/CXCR4 pathway could be a promising treatment option for stimulating hair growth.
    View this study on doi.org →

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