Treatment with Malva Verticillata Seed Extracts Alleviates Alopecia via Activation of Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling
December 2020
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Studysummary This study found that linoleic acid from Malva verticillata seed extracts may promote hair growth and alleviate androgenic alopecia by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in dermal papilla cells. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The study investigates the efficacy of Malva verticillata seed extracts, specifically linoleic acid (LA), in alleviating hair loss. The research found that LA treatment activated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which led to an increase in dermal papilla cell (DPC) proliferation. This proliferation is associated with hair growth. LA treatment also increased the expression of various growth factors and significantly inhibited the expression of DKK-1, a protein induced by dihydrotestosterone, which is known to cause hair loss. These findings suggest that LA treatment can induce hair growth and alleviate androgenic alopecia by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling in DPCs.
