Quercetin Promotes Production of Secondary Hair Follicle Stem Cells in Cashmere Goat: A Mechanistic Study

October 2025 in “ Frontiers in Veterinary Science ”

Wei Lian, Guoqing Jiang, Xueyong Wu, Yadong Gao, Kun Cui, Lei Zhu, Ziyang Xu, Xiaoxin Zhang, Jiawei Wang, Mingli Peng, Rui Ding, Fei Hao, Dongjun Liu

quercetin secondary hair follicle stem cells SHFSCs PCNA TERT PI3K–Akt signaling pathway Wnt signaling pathway TGF-β signaling pathway mitochondrial function oxidative stress

Studysummary This study found that treating secondary hair follicle stem cells from Arbas cashmere goats with 10 μg/mL quercetin for 48 hours significantly boosted cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis by activating several signaling pathways, suggesting a potential strategy to enhance cashmere production.

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This study demonstrates that quercetin significantly enhances the proliferation and reduces the apoptosis of secondary hair follicle stem cells (SHFSCs) in Arbas cashmere goats. Treatment with 10 μg/mL quercetin for 48 hours increased the proportion of S-phase cells and upregulated key proliferation markers like PCNA and TERT. Quercetin also inhibited apoptosis by modulating the expression of apoptosis-related genes and activating the PI3K–Akt, Wnt, and TGF-β signaling pathways. Additionally, it improved mitochondrial function and reduced oxidative stress. These findings suggest that quercetin could be a valuable agent for boosting cashmere production by promoting SHFSC proliferation and survival.

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