Topical Treatment of Hair Loss with Formononetin by Modulating Apoptosis
January 2016
in “
Planta Medica
”
TLDR Formononetin, found in red clover plants, can promote hair regrowth and reduce hair loss by preventing cell death.
The 2016 study "Topical Treatment of Hair Loss with Formononetin by Modulating Apoptosis" investigated the effects of formononetin, a component of red clover plants, on hair regrowth and hair loss. The study used depilated C57BL/6 mice and applied formononetin (1 and 100 µM) topically to the dorsal skin for 14 days. The results showed that formononetin treatment induced miniaturized hair follicles to recover to normal sizes and promoted new hair growth. It also inhibited the activation of caspase-8 and decreased procaspase-9 expression. Formononetin treatment up-regulated anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, while down-regulating pro-apoptotic Bax and p53, resulting in a decrease of caspase-3 activation. The study concluded that formononetin promoted hair regrowth in hair loss by inhibiting Fas/Fas L-induced caspase activation, thus inhibiting apoptosis.
