Sesamin Alleviates Androgenetic Alopecia by Targeting the AR MAPK Wnt Axis

January 2026 in “ Scientific Reports ”

Yuanyuan Li, Jingya Chen, Rong Xi, Qiehao Tang, Tianwen Gao, Yuxin Qian, Z. Huang, Bin Ding, Yi Cao

Studysummary In this study, researchers found that sesamin, a component of sesamum, modulated the AR-MAPK-Wnt signaling pathway in DHT-stimulated HaCaT keratinocytes, demonstrating potential multi-target activity against molecular events in androgenetic alopecia. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

This study investigates the potential of sesamin, a key component of sesamum, in treating androgenetic alopecia (AGA) by targeting the AR-MAPK-Wnt signaling axis. Using network pharmacology and molecular docking, researchers identified 15 overlapping targets, with AR, EGFR, ESR1, and CASP3 forming the core network. Sesamin demonstrated high-affinity binding to AR and showed regulatory effects in DHT-stimulated HaCaT cells, including reversing p38 phosphorylation, normalizing AR expression, and modulating apoptosis-related proteins. These findings suggest sesamin's potential as a multi-target therapeutic agent for AGA by influencing steroid hormone response, cell proliferation, and MAPK/Wnt pathways.

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This study evaluated a chemically modified siRNA, AR-27 E-Chol, which effectively promoted hair regrowth and reduced androgen receptor gene expression in a DHT-induced mouse model of androgenetic alopecia, suggesting its potential as a novel therapeutic candidate.

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