April 2014 in “The FASEB Journal” This study found that maternal hephaestin knockout in mice leads to neonatal hair loss, likely due to low iron levels in the mother's milk.
April 2010 in “The FASEB Journal” This study found that knockout mice lacking intestinal hephaestin are smaller and anemic compared to wild-type, suggesting other mechanisms may compensate for iron absorption.
April 2016 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Iron deficiency causes hair loss by affecting hair differentiation and cycling.