Hair Growth Promoting Effect of Houttuynia Cordata Extract in Cultured Human Hair Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells

The study from 2019 examined the hair growth promoting effects of Houttuynia cordata (HC) extract on human dermal papilla cells (hDPCs). It was found that HC extract increased the proliferation of hDPCs, likely due to enhanced cellular energy metabolism, as evidenced by increased levels of NADH and ATP, and a rise in mitochondrial membrane potential. The extract also influenced the cell cycle, increasing CDK4 expression and decreasing CCNA2 and CCNB1 expression, which suggests a promotion of the G1 phase and cell proliferation. Furthermore, HC extract upregulated Bcl2 expression, which is crucial for cell survival and the maintenance of the anagen stage of hair follicles, and downregulated the expression of p16 and p21, which are associated with cellular senescence. The secretion of growth factors such as PDGF-aa and VEGF was also increased, and there was induced phosphorylation of ERK and AKT, which are important for cell proliferation. Additionally, HC extract was shown to prolong the anagen stage in cultured human hair follicles. These results suggest that HC extract could be a potential agent for promoting hair growth by enhancing the survival and proliferative capacity of DPCs.