A Novel and Safe Small Molecule Enhances Hair Follicle Regeneration by Facilitating Metabolic Reprogramming

December 2018 in “ Experimental and Molecular Medicine ”

Mi-Young Son, Jae Min Jeong, Youjeong Kwon, Jae-Sung Ryu, Seon Ju Mun, Hyung Sik Kim, Sungwuk Kim, Sanghee Yoo, Kook Jiae, Hong-Bum Lee, Jang Hwan Kim, Kyung-Sook Chung

hair follicle regeneration small molecule IM stemness induction induced pluripotent stem cell mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation glycolysis hair follicle cycle anagen phase hair follicle number tissue regeneration hair regrowth metabolic reprogramming hair growth hair cycle stem cell reprogramming energy metabolism

TLDR Small molecule IM boosts hair growth by changing stem cell metabolism.

A study from 2018 investigated the use of a small molecule called IM in promoting hair follicle regeneration in mice. The researchers found that IM facilitated stemness induction and maintenance during an induced pluripotent stem cell generation process. IM treatment mildly inhibited mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and concurrently increased glycolysis, which accelerated stemness induction during the early phase of reprogramming. The topical application of IM accelerated hair follicle regeneration by stimulating the progression of the hair follicle cycle to the anagen phase and increased the hair follicle number in mice. The study suggests that the novel small molecule IM promotes tissue regeneration, specifically in hair regrowth, by restructuring the metabolic configuration of stem cells.

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Research cited in this study

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