Prolactin: A Novel Neuroendocrine Regulator of Human Keratin Expression In Situ

In the 2010 study, researchers discovered that prolactin (PRL) significantly influences keratin expression in human hair follicles. PRL up-regulated keratins K5, K14, K15, and K19, and down-regulated K6 and K31, with these effects being reversible by a PRL receptor antagonist. The study, which used organ-cultured hair follicles from 9 healthy females aged 44-67 and employed quantitative immunohistomorphometry and qPCR analyses, suggests that PRL is a key neuroendocrine regulator of human keratin expression and could have clinical implications for skin and hair growth disorders. The findings also indicate that PRL's effects on keratin expression are direct, potentially offering new therapeutic approaches for diseases characterized by keratin abnormalities.