Single-Cell Profiling Reveals a Potent Role of Quercetin in Promoting Hair Regeneration

The study investigated the role of quercetin (Que) in hair regeneration, finding that it significantly promotes hair growth by stimulating resting hair follicles and enhancing perifollicular microvasculature in mice. Single-cell transcriptome analysis showed that Que treatment improves the differentiation trajectory in hair follicles and induces an angiogenic signature in dermal endothelial cells by activating HIF-1α. The study also found that a HIF-1α agonist can partially mimic Que's effects. Que treatment led to the expansion of a migrating bulge cell population essential for hair follicle regeneration, activated hair follicle stem cells, and initiated the anagen phase of hair growth. It modulated genes involved in cell death, oxidative phosphorylation, cell adhesion, and the MAPK signaling pathway, while repressing the BMP signaling pathway known to inhibit hair growth. The study included n = 20 for the vehicle group, n = 25 for the Que group, n = 8 for the Met group, n = 14 for the GA group, and n = 6 for both vehicle and Que groups in the histological analysis, with 6 samples each for vehicle and Que treatment in the single-cell analysis. The results suggest that Que is a potent agent for hair regeneration, acting through molecular events and key genes associated with hair growth and vascularization.