MicroRNA-22-3p Suppresses Hair Regrowth in Androgenetic Alopecia by Targeting Chloride Intracellular Channel 4

July 2025 in “ Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Cell Research ”

Haijing Fu, Chenxi Wu, Tianyi Xu, Wumei Zhao, Leiwei Jiang, Shijun Shan

microRNA-22-3p androgenetic alopecia hair regrowth chloride intracellular channel 4 hair follicle stem cells Sonic Hedgehog signaling pathway hair follicle miniaturization miR-22-3p AGA CLIC4 SHH

Studysummary In this study, researchers identified the miR-22-3p/CLIC4 signaling pathway as a key regulator in hair follicle miniaturization among androgenetic alopecia models, suggesting that targeting CLIC4-mediated sonic hedgehog pathway disruption may offer new therapeutic strategies for AGA treatment. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

This study investigates the role of microRNA-22-3p (miR-22-3p) in androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and its impact on hair regrowth. The research involved 30 male AGA patients and utilized human hair follicle stem cells, clinical specimens, and mouse models. Findings revealed that miR-22-3p is upregulated in balding hair follicles, leading to the downregulation of chloride intracellular channel protein 4 (CLIC4), a target of miR-22-3p. This downregulation impairs hair follicle stem cell proliferation by inhibiting the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway. The study suggests that the miR-22-3p/CLIC4 axis is a novel epigenetic regulator of hair follicle miniaturization and proposes CLIC4-mediated SHH modulation as a potential therapeutic target for AGA treatment.

View this study on sciencedirect.com →

Discuss this study in the Community →

Research cited in this study

15 / 15 results

research Pathophysiological Mechanisms of Hair Follicle Regeneration and Potential Therapeutic Strategies

June 2025 in “Stem Cell Research & Therapy”

This review highlights recent advancements in androgenetic alopecia treatment, focusing on the dysregulated signaling pathways involved in hair follicle regeneration and exploring innovative therapeutic strategies, including small molecule modulators and gene editing technologies, which show promise in preclinical models.

research Panax Notoginseng Saponins Loaded Water-In-Oil Microemulsion for Alopecia Therapy with Panthenol as Cosurfactant to Reduce Skin Irritation

August 2024 in “International Journal of Pharmaceutics”

This study found that a specially designed water-in-oil microemulsion containing Panax notoginseng saponins improved hair density and other hair health indicators in mice with telogen effluvium and androgenetic alopecia, offering a promising multi-mechanism strategy for alopecia treatment with potentially fewer side effects than traditional methods.

research Hybrid Hair Follicle Stem Cell Extracellular Vesicles Co-Delivering Finasteride and Gold Nanoparticles for Androgenetic Alopecia Treatment

August 2024 in “Journal of Controlled Release”

In a study using an AGA mouse model, researchers observed that a novel topical gel combining hybrid extracellular vesicles, gold nanoparticles, and finasteride accelerated hair regrowth and improved hair quality more effectively than conventional minoxidil treatment, presenting a promising option with fewer side effects.

research MicroRNA-181a Targets GNAI2 and Affects the Proliferation and Induction Ability of Dermal Papilla Cells: Potential Involvement of the Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway

1 citations , July 2024 in “International Journal of Molecular Sciences”

In this study, miR-181a was found to inhibit the proliferation and induction abilities of ovine dermal papilla cells by targeting the GNAI2 gene and affecting the Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathway, highlighting its role in the regulation of hair follicle growth and development.

research Pilose Antler Extract Promotes Hair Growth in Androgenic Alopecia Mice by Promoting the Initial Anagen Phase

April 2024 in “Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy”

This study observed that pilose antler extract promoted hair growth in mice with androgenetic alopecia by stimulating the hair follicle growth cycle via the SHH/GLI pathway activation and BMP/Smad pathway suppression.

research Insights Into Male Androgenetic Alopecia Using Comparative Transcriptome Profiling: Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 and Wnt/Beta-Catenin Signalling Pathways

1 citations , July 2022 in “British Journal of Dermatology”

In this study, researchers identified key transcriptome changes in male androgenetic alopecia hair follicles, suggesting that HIF-1 pathway genes and Wnt pathway inhibitors could be potential therapeutic targets.

research A Systematic Summary of Survival and Death Signaling During the Life of Hair Follicle Stem Cells

31 citations , August 2021 in “Stem Cell Research & Therapy”

This review examines the life cycle, biomarkers, and functions of hair follicle stem cells, emphasizing their role in hair loss therapy and other skin and hair disorders, but reports no new clinical results.

Dihydrotestosterone-Induced Hair Regrowth Inhibition by Activating Androgen Receptor in C57BL6 Mice Simulates Androgenetic Alopecia

research Dihydrotestosterone-Induced Hair Regrowth Inhibition by Activating Androgen Receptor in C57BL6 Mice Simulates Androgenetic Alopecia

23 citations , January 2021 in “Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy”

This study found that dihydrotestosterone induced hair loss and changes in hair morphology in male C57BL/6 mice, effects that could be partially reversed by the AR antagonist bicalutamide.

research DNMT1-Mediated Methylation Inhibits MicroRNA-214-3p and Promotes Hair Follicle Stem Cell Differentiation Into Adipogenic Lineages

8 citations , October 2020 in “Stem cell research & therapy”

This study found that DNMT1 promotes adipogenesis in hair follicle stem cells by regulating the miR-214-3p/MAPK1/p-ERK1/2 pathway, suggesting potential applications in stem cell therapy.

research EZH2-Mediated Inhibition of MicroRNA-22 Promotes Differentiation of Hair Follicle Stem Cells by Elevating STK40 Expression

12 citations , July 2020 in “Aging”

This study found that the enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) may promote hair growth by increasing STK40 expression and facilitating hair follicle stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

research Exosomal MicroRNAs Derived from Dermal Papilla Cells Mediate Hair Follicle Stem Cell Proliferation and Differentiation

71 citations , January 2019 in “International journal of biological sciences”

This study proposes the miR-22-5p-LEF1 axis as a novel pathway that may regulate hair follicle stem cell proliferation.

research Androgenetic Alopecia: A Review

153 citations , March 2017 in “Endocrine”

This review examines recent advances in understanding the pathophysiology and molecular mechanisms of androgenetic alopecia, highlighting two major genetic risk loci, but does not report new clinical findings.

Post-Transcriptional Regulation of Keratinocyte Progenitor Cell Expansion, Differentiation, and Hair Follicle Regression by miR-22

research Post-Transcriptional Regulation of Keratinocyte Progenitor Cell Expansion, Differentiation, and Hair Follicle Regression by miR-22

52 citations , May 2015 in “PLOS Genetics”

This study found that the microRNA miR-22 is a key regulator of the hair cycle, influencing hair loss by promoting the transition from growth to rest phases and repressing keratinocyte differentiation.

research Adverse Event Reporting in Clinical Trials of Finasteride for Androgenic Alopecia: A Meta-Analysis

44 citations , April 2015 in “PubMed”

This study reports that clinical trials of finasteride for androgenic alopecia provide insufficient and systematically biased safety data, with most participants unrepresentative of those in pivotal trials that led to FDA approval.

research Clinical Utility and Validity of Minoxidil Response Testing in Androgenetic Alopecia

43 citations , August 2014 in “Dermatologic Therapy”

This study confirmed that a sulfotransferase enzyme test can effectively rule out 95.9% of nonresponders to 5% topical minoxidil for treating androgenetic alopecia.