Valproic Acid Induces Hair Regeneration in Murine Model and Activates Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in Human Dermal Papilla Cells
April 2012
in “PLOS ONE”
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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