The Peptide AC 2 Isolated from Bacillus-Treated Trapa Japonica Fruit Extract Rescues DHT-Treated Human Dermal Papilla Cells and Mediates mTORC1 Signaling for Autophagy and Apoptosis Suppression

The study isolated the AC 2 peptide from Trapa japonica fruit and demonstrated its potential to rescue human dermal papilla cells (HDPs) treated with dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a major cause of hair loss. Using various experimental techniques, including cytotoxicity assays, flow cytometry, Western blot, immunoprecipitation, and 3D cell culture, the researchers found that the AC 2 peptide mediated mTORC1 signaling, which suppressed autophagy and apoptosis in HDPs. Additionally, the synthetic AC 2 peptide was validated to have similar effects as the isolated peptide, suggesting its potential for biomedical applications in treating hair loss.