TLDR Thymosin beta 4 helps hair grow by boosting stem cell activity.
The study found that thymosin beta 4, a 43-amino-acid molecule, promoted hair growth in various rat and mice models, including a transgenic mouse overexpressing thymosin beta 4. The mechanism by which thymosin beta 4 facilitated hair growth involved the promotion of follicle stem cell growth, migration, differentiation, and protease production. These findings suggested that thymosin beta 4 played a significant role in hair growth through its influence on stem cell activities.
98 citations,
December 2003 in “The FASEB Journal” Thymosin β4 promotes hair growth by activating stem cells in hair follicles.
520 citations,
February 2001 in “Journal of Clinical Investigation” VEGF helps hair grow and determines follicle size by increasing blood vessel growth.
949 citations,
January 2001 in “Cell” Adult mouse skin contains stem cells that can create new hair, skin, and oil glands.
1010 citations,
August 2000 in “Cell” Hair follicle stem cells can form both hair follicles and skin.
38 citations,
July 2020 in “EMBO journal” SIRT7 protein is crucial for starting hair growth in mice.
August 2014 in “Journal of clinical & experimental dermatology research” Platelet-released growth factors can treat hair loss by activating hair follicle stem cells, blocking certain pathways, and controlling inflammation and fibrosis.
36 citations,
June 2009 in “Nanomedicine” Fullerene nanomaterials help hair grow faster and increase hair follicles.
8 citations,
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236 citations,
July 2001 in “Trends in Molecular Medicine” Future hair loss treatments should aim to extend hair growth, reactivate resting follicles, reverse shrinkage, and possibly create new follicles, with gene therapy showing promise.
