Visible-To-Near IR Quantum Dot-Based Hypermulticolor High-Content Screening of Herbal Medicines for Efficacy Monitoring of Hair Growth Promotion and Hair Loss Inhibition
November 2012
in “
SLAS discovery
”
herbal extracts hair growth promotion hair loss inhibition IGF-1 TGF-β2 VEGF DKK-1 Wnt5α minoxidil high-content screening quantum dot-based imaging insulin-like growth factor 1 transforming growth factor beta 2 vascular endothelial growth factor dickkopf-related protein 1 wingless-type MMTV integration site family member 5A Rogaine HCS
TLDR Some herbal extracts can promote hair growth and prevent hair loss.
The study evaluated the efficacy of nine herbal extracts on hair growth promotion and hair loss inhibition using high-content screening (HCS) and Western blot in human follicle dermal papilla cells (HFDPC) and human keratinocyte cell lines (HaCaT). The herbal extracts were compared to minoxidil, with efficacy determined by the modulation of IGF-1, VEGF, Wnt5α, DKK-1, and TGF-β2. Minoxidil was found to be more effective overall, but specific herbal extracts (EEX0_Vis_EA, EEX2_Vis_EA, and EEX1_Vis_EA_7.5) showed significant potential as therapeutic agents for alopecia. The study concluded that these herbal extracts could serve as potential treatments with fewer side effects than minoxidil, and highlighted the use of quantum dot–antibody conjugates for accurate protein expression analysis.