A Comparative In Vivo and In Vitro Evaluation of Hair Growth Potential of Extracts and an Isolate from Petroleum Ether Extract of Cuscuta Reflexa Roxb

September 2014 in “ Beni-Suef University Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences ”

Satish Patel, Mukesh K. Nag, Vikas Sharma, Nagendra Singh Chauhan, V. K. Dixit

TLDR Cuscuta reflexa extracts and an isolate promoted hair growth and could be natural treatments for hair loss.

In a 2014 study, extracts and an isolate from Cuscuta reflexa Roxb were tested for their hair growth potential on albino rats with testosterone-induced alopecia. The study found that both the petroleum ether extract (PTE) and ethanolic extract (ETE), as well as the isolate Stigmast-5-en-3-0-glucopyranosidetriacetate-5¹-ol (SGTA), increased follicular density and the anagen/telogen ratio in the rats. Histological analysis showed an improvement in the number and shape of hair follicles in treated groups compared to the finasteride and control groups. Additionally, in vitro tests demonstrated that the extracts and isolate inhibited the 5α-reductase enzyme, suggesting a mechanism for their effectiveness. The study concluded that these extracts and the isolate have potential as natural treatments for androgen-induced alopecia. The isolate SGTA was the most effective, with the petroleum ether extract also showing more efficacy than the ethanolic extract.

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