Herbal Extracts Induce Dermal Papilla Cell Proliferation of Human Hair Follicles
January 2015
in “Annals of Dermatology”
TLDR Herbal extracts may help hair grow and could be an alternative to synthetic hair loss treatments.
In the 2015 study, researchers found that herbal extracts significantly increased the proliferation of human dermal papilla cells (DPCs), which are essential for hair growth, by affecting the expression of certain proteins and enzymes. The extracts increased cell viability and proliferation at concentrations between 1.5% and 4.5%, decreased the expression of 5-alpha-reductase type 2 (5-αR2) which is linked to hair loss, and modulated proteins involved in cell cycle progression and survival, such as Cyclin D1, Cdk4, Bcl-2, and Bax. The study suggests that these herbal extracts could be a potential alternative treatment for hair loss, offering benefits similar to synthetic drugs but with possibly fewer side effects. The experiments were performed in triplicate and repeated three to four times, with statistical significance set at p<0.05.
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