In Vitro and In Vivo Models for the Development of Hair Growth Materials by Regulating the β-Catenin Signaling Pathways

This study presents a model for developing hair growth materials by targeting the β-catenin signaling pathway. The researchers used tegatrabetan (TG), a β-catenin inhibitor, and found that at a concentration of 100 nM, TG reduced the proliferation of human hair follicle dermal papilla cells (HFDPCs) after 72 hours. TG also induced apoptosis, decreased phosphorylation of GSK-3β and Akt, prevented β-catenin from moving to the nucleus, and lowered cyclin D1 expression. Additionally, TG caused an increase in G2/M phase arrest in HFDPCs. In vivo experiments showed that subcutaneous injection of TG in C57BL/6 mice inhibited hair growth and reduced the number of hair follicles, as well as decreased the expression of cyclin D1, β-catenin, keratin 14, and Ki67. These findings indicate that the inhibition of hair growth by TG could serve as a useful model for the development of new materials that enhance hair growth through β-catenin signaling.