Effect of Prostaglandin D2 on Hair Follicle Growth and Its Impact on Hair Follicle Stem/Progenitor Cells
April 2016
in “
Journal of Investigative Dermatology
”
Prostaglandin D2 PGD2 PTGDR2 antagonists androgenetic alopecia keratinocyte proliferation hair follicle stem cells hair follicle progenitor cells apoptosis hair growth phase hair shedding phase male pattern baldness keratinocyte growth hair stem cells hair progenitor cells cell death anagen phase telogen phase
TLDR Blocking Prostaglandin D₂ may help treat hair loss.
The study from May 2016 investigated the role of Prostaglandin D₂ (PGD₂) in hair loss, particularly in men with androgenetic alopecia, and found that PGD₂ levels were higher in balding scalp areas. The use of PTGDR2 antagonists was able to counteract the negative effects of PGD₂, promoting hair growth by preventing apoptosis and sustaining keratinocyte proliferation. In mice, applying PGD₂ shortened the hair growth phase and hastened the transition to the hair shedding phase, while PTGDR2 antagonists had the opposite effect, leading to longer hair. The study also showed that PGD₂ reduced the expression of hair follicle progenitor cell markers and decreased the number of proliferating cells in the hair germ population, indicating that PGD₂ inhibits hair progenitor cell activation. These findings suggest that blocking PGD₂'s effects could be a potential treatment for hair loss.
