The Promoting Effect of Ishige Sinicola on Hair Growth

The study from 2013 investigated the effects of Ishige sinicola, a brown alga, on hair growth, finding that its extract and a component named octaphlorethol A could promote hair growth by inhibiting 5α-reductase activity and increasing the proliferation of dermal papilla cells (DPCs). The extract increased hair-fiber length in rat follicles and induced the anagen phase in mice, while octaphlorethol A specifically inhibited 5α-reductase by up to 29.1% and increased DPC proliferation by up to 110.5%. These findings suggest the potential of Ishige sinicola and octaphlorethol A as treatments for alopecia, comparable to known treatments like minoxidil and finasteride. The study's experiments were repeated at least three times for accuracy, and the results were statistically significant with a p-value of less than 0.05. The research received support from the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, Korea, and there were no conflicts of interest reported.