Targeting Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway for Developing Therapies for Hair Loss
July 2020
in “International Journal of Molecular Sciences”
TLDR Activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway could lead to new hair loss treatments.
The document reviewed the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway's role in hair growth and its potential as a target for developing hair loss therapies. It emphasized that current treatments like minoxidil and finasteride have limited efficacy and side effects. The pathway is crucial for hair follicle regeneration, and activating it has shown promise in promoting hair growth. Plant-derived chemicals, such as tocotrienol and Prunus mira nut oil, have been effective in animal models. The document also noted that genes downregulated in balding scalp areas are associated with the Wnt and TGF-β signaling pathways. It mentioned several natural products that could be potential hair loss treatments due to their ability to activate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. However, it stressed the need for large-scale human clinical trials to confirm the safety and efficacy of these potential therapies. The research had no external funding and no conflicts of interest were declared.
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