The Murine Hair Follicle Is a Melatonin Target
September 2004
in “
Experimental dermatology
”
melatonin hair follicle keratinocytes melatonin membrane receptors MT1 MT2 orphan nuclear receptor α RORα hair growth cycle RT-PCR quantitative real-time PCR keratinocyte apoptosis mouse skin organ culture melatonin hair follicle keratinocytes melatonin receptors MT1 MT2 RORα hair growth cycle RT-PCR qPCR keratinocyte apoptosis mouse skin culture
TLDR Melatonin directly affects mouse hair follicles and may influence hair growth.
The study investigated whether murine (mouse) hair follicles are direct targets for melatonin, a hormone known to affect skin functions such as melanogenesis and hair growth. The researchers found that murine hair follicle keratinocytes express melatonin membrane receptors (MT1 and MT2) and orphan nuclear receptor α (RORα), with their levels varying according to the hair growth cycle. Both semi-quantitative RT-PCR and quantitative real-time PCR confirmed the transcription of MT1, MT2, and RORα in a hair cycle-dependent manner in normal mouse skin. Additionally, melatonin was shown to significantly reduce keratinocyte apoptosis in mouse skin organ culture. The study concluded that murine hair follicles are indeed direct targets for melatonin, which may play a role in controlling the hair growth cycle.
