Compound Glycyrrhizin Promotes Hair Growth in C57BL/6 Mice by Regulating the Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway

July 2025 in “ Dermatologica Sinica ”

Yan Peng, Ling He, Xiaoqiong Yang, Aijie Zhao

glycyrrhizin Wnt/β-catenin pathway androgenetic alopecia testosterone hair follicle human hair dermal papilla cells finasteride IGF-1 FGF-2 HGF AGA HPDCs

TLDR Glycyrrhizin may help regrow hair by activating a specific pathway.

The study found that compound glycyrrhizin (CG) significantly promotes hair regrowth in a testosterone-induced androgenetic alopecia (AGA) mouse model by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Conducted on 40 male C57BL/6 mice, the research showed that CG improved hair follicle morphology, increased hair length, and enhanced the proliferation of human hair dermal papilla cells (HPDCs). CG's effects were comparable to finasteride, a known AGA treatment, and involved upregulating growth factors like IGF-1, FGF-2, and HGF. The study suggests CG as a promising alternative for AGA treatment, though it emphasizes the need for further research and large-scale human clinical trials to confirm its safety and efficacy.

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