Valproic Acid Induces Hair Regeneration in Murine Model and Activates Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in Human Dermal Papilla Cells

    April 2012 in “ PLOS ONE ”
    Soung Hoon Lee, Jungwon Yoon, Seung Ho Shin, Muhamad Zahoor, Hyoung Jun Kim, Phil June Park, Won Seok Park, Do Sik Min, Hyun Yi Kim, Kang Yell Choi
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    TLDR Valproic Acid helps regrow hair in mice and activates a hair growth marker in human cells.
    In 2012, a study was conducted to examine the effects of Valproic Acid (VPA) on hair regeneration using a murine model and human dermal papilla cells. The study found that VPA, a GSK3β inhibitor that activates the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, promoted hair regrowth in male C3H mice and activated the dermal papilla marker alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in human dermal papilla cells. VPA also induced ALP by up-regulating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, unlike minoxidil, a common hair loss treatment. Other GSK3β inhibitors that activate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway also showed hair growth-promoting activities. The study concluded that small molecules that activate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, such as VPA, could potentially be developed as drugs to stimulate hair regrowth.
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