VEGF Upregulates VEGF Receptor-2 on Human Outer Root Sheath Cells and Stimulates Proliferation Through ERK Pathway

The 2012 study explored the role of VEGFR-2 on human outer root sheath (ORS) cells, which are integral to hair follicle structure. It was found that VEGFR-2 is present on ORS cells at the mRNA and protein levels. The application of VEGF165, a variant of VEGF, was shown to increase ORS cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner and to upregulate VEGFR-2 expression. Additionally, VEGF165 triggered the phosphorylation of various signaling molecules, including VEGFR-2, in a time-dependent fashion, indicating that the ERK signaling pathway mediated by VEGFR-2 is involved in the proliferative response. These findings suggest that targeting the VEGF/VEGFR-2 pathway could be a potential strategy for hair growth therapies. The study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Qianjiang Talent Program.