Human Hair Follicles Can Smell: OR2AT4-Mediated Hair Growth Regulation
September 2016
in “
Journal of Investigative Dermatology
”
OR2AT4 olfactory receptors Sandalore anagen catagen hair matrix keratinocyte apoptosis TGFB2 IGF-1 CCR5 alopecia areata CD73 STAT5 dermal papilla hair growth phase hair regression phase hair cell death growth factors chemokine receptor hair loss enzyme hair follicle growth hair regeneration wound healing
TLDR Human hair follicles have a scent receptor that can influence hair growth.
The document presents findings that human hair follicles have olfactory receptors, specifically OR2AT4, which can regulate hair growth. The study showed that treating human scalp hair follicles with the synthetic OR2AT4 agonist Sandalore significantly delayed the transition from the growth phase (anagen) to the regression phase (catagen) and decreased hair matrix keratinocyte apoptosis, potentially by modulating growth factors such as TGFB2 and IGF-1. Conversely, blocking OR2AT4 with an antagonist or silencing its expression increased apoptosis and TGFB2 expression. These results suggest that OR2AT4-mediated signaling is important for regulating human hair follicle growth and could be targeted for treating hair growth disorders. The document also briefly mentions other studies on the role of the chemokine receptor CCR5 in alopecia areata and the enzyme CD73 in hair growth regulation, as well as the importance of STAT5 activation in the dermal papilla for hair follicle growth phase induction, regeneration, and wound healing.
