Faculty Opinions Recommendation of Identification of Novel Hair-Growth Inducers by Means of Connectivity Mapping
February 2010
in “
Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature
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TLDR Fluphenazine and iloprost can induce hair growth.
This study aimed to identify new hair growth inducers by analyzing gene expression during hair growth induction in mice treated with cyclosporin A (CsA). Using DNA microarray analysis, researchers observed changes in gene expression related to melanin biosynthesis, immune response, cell proliferation, and hair-specific keratins. The connectivity map (Cmap) was used to find agents with similar gene signatures to CsA-treated mice. Fluphenazine, identified from the d 2 signature, successfully induced hair growth in vivo, and its effect was enhanced by iloprost from the d 4 signature. The study demonstrated that Cmap analysis effectively linked gene expression profiles to potential hair growth agents.