October 2025 in “Gene Expression” This review explores the potential of exosomes, which contain substances that may stimulate hair follicle activity, as a new therapeutic strategy for alopecia, and discusses their possible benefits and risks based on current knowledge of microRNAs and intracellular signaling in hair follicle morphogenesis.
April 2025 in “Antioxidants” In this study, the researchers found that the water-soluble fraction of Rhus semialata gall extract and its component Penta-O-Galloyl-β-D-Glucose promoted hair growth in human dermal papilla cells, and clinical trials supported these findings, showing improved hair density and appearance compared to placebo.
March 2025 in “Regenerative Therapy” This study suggests that SACM may enhance hair growth more effectively than non-treated ACM, highlighting the potential of S. maxima as a promising agent for use in pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical industries.
March 2026 in “Journal of Multidisciplinary Applied Natural Science” This study reported that Cosmos caudatus extract alone may therapeutically modulate the AR–FGF-2 axis in a BPH rat model, comparable to finasteride, but combining them disrupted pathway regulation, increasing TGF-β levels.
243 citations
,
October 2003 in “Developmental biology” This study identified ectodin as a novel BMP inhibitor that modulates BMP signaling in ectodermal development by interacting with SHH and FGF pathways.
3 citations
,
August 2023 in “Genes” This review summarizes current research on molecular pathways, such as Wnt and Notch, that regulate feather follicle development in yellow-feathered broilers, highlighting their potential impact on poultry carcass quality and suggesting areas for future study.
August 2025 in “Biomolecules” This review explores the role of FGF signaling in hair follicle development and highlights its potential as a new therapeutic target for hair loss, which could surpass existing treatments in terms of efficacy and safety.
68 citations
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April 2012 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” The study reports that Fgf18 and Tgf-β2 signaling pathways in hair follicle stem cells have opposing effects on the timing of hair cycle transitions, influencing the shift from telogen to anagen phases.
66 citations
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February 2007 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” The researchers reported that adenosine increases FGF-7 expression in dermal papilla cells, which may stimulate hair growth via the A2b adenosine receptor and cAMP pathway.
50 citations
,
September 2012 in “Developmental Biology” This study found that over-expressing Spry4 and Fgf10 modulates feather stem cells to alter feather morphologies in distinct ways, affecting barb branch formation and tissue structure.
28 citations
,
October 2011 in “International Journal of Molecular Medicine” In this study, adenosine was found to stimulate hair follicle growth in vitro by promoting growth factor expression, β-catenin activation, and downstream signaling pathways.
9 citations
,
July 2001 in “Cell” This review discusses historical and recent advances in understanding the embryonic organizer's role in patterning during development, including molecular pathways and future research challenges, but reports no new experimental data.
3 citations
,
September 2021 in “Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society” In this study, dimeric peptide derivatives were shown to enhance the proliferation of human follicle dermal papilla cells in vitro, particularly promoting the ERK1/2 pathway, suggesting potential for developing peptide-based treatments for hair regeneration.
September 2017 in “Korean journal of acupuncture” This study found that Crataegi Fructus water extract may promote hair growth in mice by enhancing hair density, thickness, and length and activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.
EGF and FGF signaling stops hair follicle development in mice.
May 2012 in “International Journal of Dermatology and Venereology” This article reviews the morphogenesis and cycling of hair follicles and the complex signaling pathways involved, without reporting new experimental results.
January 2022 in “SSRN Electronic Journal” This study found that lncRNA RP11-818024.3 transfection promoted hair growth in AGA mice and increased cellular proliferation in vitro, potentially involving the FGF2 and PI3K-Akt pathways.
June 2025 in “Preprints.org” This review examines the complex role of the Ectodysplasin-A pathway in skeletal morphogenesis, emphasizing its interaction with other key signaling pathways, and reports no new experimental findings.
161 citations
,
August 2012 in “Seminars in cell & developmental biology” This review discusses the molecular mechanisms involved in hair follicle development and regeneration, highlighting findings from mouse genetic studies, and reports no new experimental results.
3 citations
,
December 2022 in “npj Regenerative Medicine” This review discusses the role of heparan sulfate proteoglycans in regulating stem cell fate and highlights their potential as targets for addressing hair loss, without reporting new clinical results.
15 citations
,
July 2024 in “Current Issues in Molecular Biology” This narrative review explores the molecular mechanisms driving skin development and their role in skin diseases, emphasizing how disruptions in these pathways can lead to conditions like congenital disorders and cancers, potentially guiding new targeted therapies.
January 2026 in “Current Issues in Molecular Biology” This paper reviews the emerging role of FGF-7 signaling in hair regeneration, highlighting its potential as a target for new therapies despite limited clinical trial data.
300 citations
,
August 2012 in “Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology” This review discusses mesenchymal–epithelial interactions in hair follicle development and cycling, highlighting recent insights without reporting new experimental results.
26 citations
,
October 2016 in “Biomolecules & Therapeutics” This study found that 3-Deoxysappanchalcone may stimulate hair growth in mice by promoting proliferation of hair follicle dermal papilla cells through WNT/β-catenin and STAT signaling modulation.
13 citations
,
February 2017 in “Science” Turning scar-forming cells into fat cells can reduce scarring.
10 citations
,
March 2016 in “Development Growth & Differentiation” This study developed a bioengineering method to reconstruct embryonic dorsal skin from dissociated chick skin cells, allowing feather buds to form and grow in vitro, influenced by epithelial-mesenchymal interactions.
5 citations
,
April 2022 in “Frontiers in Medicine” This study summarizes the signaling molecules and extracellular components involved in epithelial–mesenchymal interactions, enhancing our understanding of hair follicle regeneration and skin wound healing, but reports no new experimental results.
4 citations
,
June 2023 in “Journal of developmental biology” In this study, researchers propose that different vertebrate skin appendages, such as hair, feathers, and scales, evolved in parallel from a shared ancestral cell structure associated with teeth, dating back approximately 420 million years ago.
2 citations
,
January 2014 in “Hair therapy & transplantation” This review explores the molecular controls of hair follicle cycling and highlights the challenge of developing effective treatments for common hair disorders without providing new clinical results.
1 citations
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October 2025 in “International Journal of Molecular Sciences” This study found that zebrafish with a mutation in the GDP-fucose biosynthesis gene exhibited enhanced and faster regeneration of mechanosensory hair cells, implicating the importance of this gene and Notch signalling regulation in hair cell regeneration mechanisms.