Isolation and Quantification of Glycosaminoglycans from Human Hair Shaft

January 2016 in “ Annals of Dermatology ”

Eleni Maniatopoulou, Stefanos Bonovas, Nikolaos M. Sitaras

glycosaminoglycans GAGs hair shaft androgenetic alopecia AGA hair thinning hair structure hair density

TLDR Human hair contains more glycosaminoglycans in children than adults, and these compounds decrease with age, possibly affecting hair thickness.

In the 2016 study, researchers isolated and quantified glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) from the hair shafts of 75 individuals, including 58 adults over 50 and 17 children aged 4 to 9. They discovered that GAG concentrations were significantly higher in the occipital area compared to the parietal area and that children had higher GAG levels than adults. No correlation was found between GAG levels and gender, hair color, or hair type. The study suggested that GAGs in hair decrease with age and may contribute to hair thinning in the elderly. Additionally, men with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) had higher GAG levels in parietal hair, and GAG levels were linked to BMI in adults and body weight in children. The findings indicate that GAGs play a role in hair structure and density and could inform the development of age-specific hair care products and treatments.

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