Faculty Opinions Recommendation of Thymic Peptides Differentially Modulate Human Hair Follicle Growth
October 2012
in “
Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature
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TLDR Thymic peptides can either promote or inhibit human hair growth.
The study by Meier N et al. reported that human hair follicles naturally produce thymic peptides such as Thymosin β4 (Tβ4), prothymosin α (PTMα), and thymulin (TYL). These peptides had different effects on hair growth: TYL stimulated hair elongation and prolonged the anagen phase, while Tβ4 and PTMα-derived thymosin 1 reduced hair growth, with Tβ4 also shortening the anagen phase. These findings suggested that specific thymic peptides could potentially be used therapeutically to either promote or inhibit human hair growth.
