Enhancement of Human Hair Growth Using Ecklonia Cava Polyphenols
January 2016
in “
Annals of Dermatology
”
Studysummary This study found that Ecklonia cava polyphenols increased human dermal papilla cell proliferation and extended hair shaft length in vitro and ex vivo, suggesting potential as a therapeutic candidate for hair loss. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
In the 2016 study, researchers found that Ecklonia cava polyphenols (ECPs) significantly promoted human hair growth by enhancing the proliferation of human dermal papilla cells (hDPCs) and increasing the expression of growth factors. Treatment with purified polyphenols from E. cava (PPE) at 10 μg/ml increased hDPC proliferation by 30.3%, and at 0.1 μg/ml, it extended the human hair shaft by 30.8% over 9 days. PPE also increased insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) mRNA expression by 3.2-fold and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA expression by 2.0-fold, while reducing oxidative stress in hDPCs. Dieckol and phlorofurofucoeckol A, specific types of ECPs, increased hDPC proliferation by 170.6% and 208.8% at 100 μM, respectively. However, only low concentrations of PPE led to significant hair shaft elongation in ex vivo cultures, indicating a narrow optimal concentration range. The study suggests that PPE could be a promising therapeutic candidate for hair loss treatment due to its ability to promote hDPC proliferation, scavenge reactive oxygen species, and increase growth factors. The research received support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT), and Jeju Institute for Regional Program Evaluation.
