The Role of Melatonin in Neuroectodermal-Mesodermal Interactions: The Hair Follicle Synthesizes Melatonin and Expresses Functional Melatonin Receptors

July 2005 in “ The FASEB journal ”

Hiromi Kobayashi, Arno Kromminga, Thomas W. Dunlop, Birte Tychsen, Franziska Conrad, Naoto Suzuki, Ai Memezawa, Albrecht Bettermann, Setsuya Aiba, Carsten Carlberg, Ralf Paus

melatonin melatonin receptors MT2 RORa keratinocyte apoptosis estrogen receptor hair cycle regulation norepinephrine

TLDR Hair follicles produce and respond to melatonin, affecting hair growth and sensitivity to estrogen.

The study demonstrated that both human and mouse hair follicles synthesized melatonin and expressed functional melatonin receptors (MT2 and RORa), with melatonin levels in hair follicles being significantly higher than in serum, especially when stimulated by norepinephrine. Melatonin inhibited keratinocyte apoptosis and down-regulated estrogen receptor expression, suggesting a role in hair cycle regulation. These findings indicated that hair follicles are both a source and target of melatonin, potentially influencing hair growth and follicle sensitivity to estrogen.

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