Topically Applied Thyroid Hormones Stimulate Hair Growth in Organ-Cultured Human Scalp Skin
June 2024
thyroid hormones T3 T4 hair growth human scalp skin anagen phase proliferative cells hair matrix keratin 15 bulge IGF-1 FGF-7 CD31+ endothelial cells pro-angiogenic effect androgenetic alopecia triiodothyronine thyroxine hair follicles insulin-like growth factor 1 fibroblast growth factor 7 blood vessel cells pattern baldness
TLDR Applying thyroid hormones to the scalp can help hair grow.
In this pilot study, researchers investigated the effects of topically applied thyroid hormones T3 and T4 on hair growth in human scalp skin. They treated full-thickness human scalp skin with T3 (1, 10nM) and T4 (1, 10μM) for six days in an organ culture. The results showed that these hormones significantly increased the percentage of hair follicles in the anagen phase, decreased the percentage of proliferative cells in the hair matrix, and increased keratin 15 expression in the bulge. Additionally, low concentrations of T3 and T4 increased the expression of hair growth promoters IGF-1 and FGF-7 and the number of CD31+ endothelial cells, indicating a pro-angiogenic effect. These findings suggest that topically applied T3 and T4 could be a novel therapeutic approach for treating hair loss disorders like androgenetic alopecia.
