Keratin Is Not Only a Structural Protein in Hair: Keratin-Mediated Hair Growth

November 2020 in “ Research Square (Research Square) ”

Seokyung An, Eun Ji Choi, So Yeon Kim, Se Young Van, Hanjun Kim, Jae Hyung Lee, Song Wook Han, Il Keun Kwon, Chul-Kyu Lee, Sun Hee, Yu‐Shik Hwang

keratin intradermal injection outer root sheath cells transforming growth factor-β2 apoptosis dermal papilla cell condensation hair germ formation anagen follicle formation hair regeneration keratin biomaterial TGF-β2 hair growth phase hair follicle development

TLDR Keratin injections in mice can stimulate hair growth and might help treat hair loss.

The pilot study conducted three years ago revealed a new biological function of keratin in hair growth. The researchers found that hair growth was stimulated by the intradermal injection of keratin into mice. The process involved outer root sheath cells undergoing transforming growth factor-β2-induced apoptosis, which resulted in keratin exposure. This exposure was found to be crucial for dermal papilla cell condensation and hair germ formation. When keratin was silenced, it prevented these processes and significantly suppressed anagen follicle formation and hair growth. These findings suggested a new method for initiating hair regeneration and indicated the potential use of keratin biomaterial in treating hair loss.

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research Keratin Is Not Only a Structural Protein in Hair: Keratin-Mediated Hair Growth

November 2020 in “Research Square (Research Square)”

Keratin injections in mice can stimulate hair growth and might help treat hair loss.

research Keratin and Skin Disorders

28 citations, April 1996 in “Cell biology international”

Changes in keratin affect skin health and can lead to skin disorders like blistering diseases and psoriasis.