L-(+)-Tartaric Acid Minimally Affects Viability or Molecular Signature but Increases Expression of Selected Hair Growth-Associated Genes in Human Dermal Papilla Cells

The study by Kashiwagi et al. from 2021 investigated the effects of L-(+)-Tartaric Acid (LTA) on human Dermal Papilla cells (hDPCs) and found that while LTA did not significantly affect the viability or molecular signature of these cells, it did increase the expression of certain hair growth-associated genes. The up-regulation of genes such as ACVR2A and IGFBP5 was observed, suggesting that LTA could be a useful additive in hair loss treatments like minoxidil. The study used real-time PCR to confirm these findings across hDPCs from multiple donors, although the exact number of donors was not specified. Despite limitations, including the lack of functional assays and evaluation using only hDPCs, the data supported the potential use of LTA in hair care products.