Protopanaxatriol Type Ginsenoside Re Promotes Cyclic Growth of Hair Follicles via Inhibiting Transforming Growth Factor β Signaling Cascades
January 2016
in “
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
”
TLDR Ginsenoside Re from ginseng may help hair grow by blocking a specific growth-inhibiting pathway.
The document summarizes a study from February 1, 2016, which found that ginsenoside Re (GRe), a component of Panax ginseng, can promote hair growth by inhibiting the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling pathway. The study used nude mice and ex vivo cultures of mouse vibrissa hair follicles to demonstrate that topical GRe treatment increased hair shaft length and the duration of the hair growth phase, with effects comparable to minoxidil. Transcriptome analysis showed a downregulation of TGF-β pathway-related genes, and further experiments indicated that GRe suppressed TGF-β-induced phosphorylation of ERK in HeLa cells. The study suggests that GRe could be developed as a therapeutic agent for hair growth and the prevention of androgenetic alopecia, as it inhibits TGF-β signaling through SMAD2/3 and ERK. The number of mice or hair follicles used in the study was not specified.
