Probing the Effects of Stress Mediators on the Human Hair Follicle
December 2007
in “American Journal of Pathology”
TLDR Stress-related substance P may lead to hair loss and negatively affect hair growth.
The document from December 2007 presents a study that explored the effects of substance P, a stress-associated neuropeptide, on human hair follicles. The study demonstrated that substance P induced premature catagen development, down-regulated the substance P receptor (NK1), and up-regulated neutral endopeptidase, which degrades substance P. This was associated with mast cell degranulation and a potential collapse of the hair follicle immune privilege due to up-regulation of MHC class I and β2-microglobulin. Substance P also affected nerve growth factor (NGF) signaling by down-regulating the growth-promoting NGF receptor (TrkA) and up-regulating NGF and its apoptosis- and catagen-promoting receptor (p75NTR). These findings suggest that substance P may contribute to stress-induced hair disorders such as telogen effluvium and alopecia areata. The study used organ-cultured hair follicles from 20 different donor samples, with experiments performed on at least five donor samples per group, and involved 21 human anagen scalp skin hair follicles from three different donors, cultured for 3 days with substance P. Quantitative RT-PCR confirmed the protein expression changes, and the results were statistically significant.
View this study on ajp.amjpathol.org →
Cited in this study
research Neuroimmunology of Stress: Skin Takes Center Stage
Stress can worsen skin and hair conditions by affecting the skin's immune response and hormone levels.
research Human Scalp Hair Follicles Are Both a Target and a Source of Prolactin, which Serves as an Autocrine and/or Paracrine Promoter of Apoptosis-Driven Hair Follicle Regression
Prolactin contributes to hair loss by promoting hair follicle shrinkage and cell death.
research Alopecia Areata: A tissue specific autoimmune disease of the hair follicle
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition causing hair loss due to the immune system attacking hair follicles, often influenced by genetics and stress.
research Neuroimmunoendocrine circuitry of the ‘brain-skin connection’
Stress can worsen skin conditions and stop hair growth by affecting the body's stress response system.
research Hair growth inhibition by psychoemotional stress: a mouse model for neural mechanisms in hair growth control
Stress can stop hair growth in mice, and treatments can reverse this effect.
research A Guide to Assessing Damage Response Pathways of the Hair Follicle: Lessons From Cyclophosphamide-Induced Alopecia in Mice
The document concludes that assessing hair follicle damage due to cyclophosphamide in mice involves analyzing structural changes and suggests a scoring system for standardized evaluation.
research Stress exposure modulates peptidergic innervation and degranulates mast cells in murine skin
Stress increases nerve fibers and immune cell activity in mouse skin, possibly worsening skin conditions.
research Control of Human Hair Growth by Neurotrophins: Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Inhibits Hair Shaft Elongation, Induces Catagen, and Stimulates Follicular Transforming Growth Factor β2 Expression
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) slows down hair growth and promotes hair follicle regression.
research Mast cell deficient and neurokinin-1 receptor knockout mice are protected from stress-induced hair growth inhibition
Certain mice without specific receptors or mast cells don't lose hair from stress.
research Burden of Hair Loss: Stress and the Underestimated Psychosocial Impact of Telogen Effluvium and Androgenetic Alopecia
Hair loss causes stress and affects mental health; treatment and support needed.
research Neurogenic Inflammation in Stress-Induced Termination of Murine Hair Growth Is Promoted by Nerve Growth Factor
Stress increases a factor in mice that leads to hair loss, and blocking this factor may prevent it.
research Epithelial growth control by neurotrophins: leads and lessons from the hair follicle
Neurotrophins are important for hair growth and could help treat hair loss.
research Stress Inhibits Hair Growth in Mice by Induction of Premature Catagen Development and Deleterious Perifollicular Inflammatory Events via Neuropeptide Substance P-Dependent Pathways
Stress stops hair growth in mice by causing early hair growth phase end and harmful inflammation through a specific nerve-related pathway.
research Indications for a brain‐hair follicle axis: inhibition of keratinocyte proliferation and up‐regulation of keratinocyte apoptosis in telogen hair follicles by stress and substance P
Stress can cause hair loss by negatively affecting hair follicles and this effect might be reversed with specific treatments.
research A role for p75 neurotrophin receptor in the control of apoptosis‐driven hair follicle regression
The p75 neurotrophin receptor is important for hair follicle regression by controlling cell death.
research Neural Mechanisms of Hair Growth Control
Nerves and chemicals in the body can affect hair growth and loss.
research An in Vitro Model for the Study of Human Hair Growth
Researchers created a lab model to study human hair growth, showing it can grow and self-regulate outside the body.