The Hair Growth Effects of Wheat Bran

The study investigated the effects of wheat bran on hair growth, focusing on its impact on rat vibrissa follicles and C57BL/6 mice. Treatment with the n-hexane fraction of wheat bran significantly increased hair-fiber lengths and induced the telogen-anagen transition. The fraction also promoted the proliferation of immortalized vibrissa dermal papilla cells (DPCs) in a dose-dependent manner. Molecular analysis revealed that this proliferation was associated with increased levels of cell cycle proteins such as cyclin D1, cyclin E, phospho-CDK2, and phospho-pRB, as well as components of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, including phospho(ser552)-β-catenin, phospho(ser675)-β-catenin, and phospho(ser9)-GSK3β. These findings suggested that wheat bran could enhance hair growth by regulating cell cycle proteins and Wnt/β-catenin signaling in DPCs.