PPAR-γ Modulation as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy for Scarring Alopecia

April 2018 in “ Journal of Investigative Dermatology ”

Marta Bertolini, Jérémy Chéret, Jonathan A. Hardman, Fernando Acosta, Ralf Paus

PPAR-γ N-acetyl-GED AGED scarring alopecia lichen planopilaris LPP human hair follicle epithelial stem cells HFeSCs epithelial-mesenchymal-transition EMT E-cadherin vimentin SLUG K15+ cells PPAR-gamma hair follicle stem cells

TLDR A new treatment using AGED to modulate PPAR-γ shows promise for treating scarring hair loss by protecting and repairing hair follicle cells.

The study from May 2018 investigated the effects of N-acetyl-GED (AGED), a PPAR-γ modulator, on scarring alopecia, particularly lichen planopilaris (LPP). It focused on whether AGED could protect human hair follicle epithelial stem cells (HFeSCs) from epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) or could reverse EMT in established LPP ex vivo. The study found that AGED successfully protected stem cells from EMT by maintaining E-cadherin levels and reducing the number of vimentin+ or SLUG+ cells. Additionally, AGED was able to partially rescue hair follicles from EMT and significantly reverse EMT in LPP-affected follicles, as shown by changes in E-cadherin, vimentin, SLUG expression, and K15+ cell numbers. These results indicate that PPAR-γ modulation with AGED is a promising approach for treating scarring alopecias like LPP that involve EMT of epithelial stem cells.

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