April 2026 in “International Journal of Molecular Sciences” This review synthesizes recent research on how Wnt signaling regulates skin, hair follicle, and nail regeneration, highlighting its compartment-specific roles and discussing targeted strategies for treating conditions like alopecia, chronic wounds, and skin cancer.
149 citations
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July 2017 in “PLoS Biology” This study found that hair follicle patterning in development may arise from a combination of epidermal prepattern signals and mesenchymal self-organisation, with fibroblast growth factor and bone morphogenetic protein activities playing key roles.
January 2026 in “Stem Cell Reviews and Reports” Hair graying may help prevent cancer by protecting stem cells.
52 citations
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September 2018 in “International Journal of Molecular Sciences” This review highlights the potential of ginseng and its metabolites in preventing hair loss, detailing their hair growth-promoting effects observed in numerous preclinical studies, and emphasizing the underlying mechanisms involved.
32 citations
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May 2015 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study found that collagen VI influences hair follicle growth and wound-induced regrowth by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in mice, suggesting potential therapeutic targets for hair loss.
30 citations
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January 2009 in “Nuclear Receptor Signaling” This study identified the Hairless (Hr) gene-encoded protein as a corepressor that plays a crucial role in maintaining skin and hair by regulating epithelial stem cell differentiation and gene expression via chromatin remodeling, which may impact both development and disease.
26 citations
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January 2019 in “Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs” This review explored the new and emerging treatments for androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata, finding that JAK inhibitors show promise for alopecia areata, while advancements in stem-cell research may eventually lead to new and improved treatments for androgenetic alopecia.
11 citations
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January 2018 in “Acta dermato-venereologica” In this study, researchers identified gremilin-2 as a highly specific gene to the dermal sheath cup, suggesting it plays a key role in maintaining its properties.
8 citations
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November 2020 in “Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology” This study reported that exogenous R-spondin-1 can restore hair follicle neogenesis in adult mouse cells, highlighting differences in gene expression and signaling pathways between fetal and adult dermal papilla cells.
6 citations
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September 2019 in “Archives of Dermatological Research” In this study, researchers identified 32 differentially expressed genes involved in androgenetic alopecia, with down-regulated genes associated with Wnt and TGF-beta signaling and up-regulated genes linked to oxidative stress pathways.
5 citations
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November 2022 in “Journal of Ginseng Research/Journal of ginseng research” This study investigated the role of autophagy in human dermal papilla cells and found that inhibiting autophagy accelerates the catagen phase by reducing Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Furthermore, adding ginsenoside Re appears to restore autophagy, suggesting potential benefits for mitigating hair loss linked to autophagy inhibition.
2 citations
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December 2022 in “Pharmaceutics” This study found that activating both PKM2 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways significantly enhanced hair regrowth and hair follicle neogenesis in mice, suggesting a potential strategy for treating alopecia.
1 citations
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April 2024 in “Journal of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences” This study evaluated androgen-induced hair loss and anagen induction mouse models, finding that Minoxidil and Pyrilutamide significantly promoted hair growth by decreasing androgen receptor protein levels and enhancing the Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathway, supporting their use in studying novel treatments for androgenetic alopecia.
1 citations
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July 2022 in “British Journal of Dermatology” In this study, researchers identified key transcriptome changes in male androgenetic alopecia hair follicles, suggesting that HIF-1 pathway genes and Wnt pathway inhibitors could be potential therapeutic targets.
October 2025 in “Animals” This study explored the genetic regulation of goose feather follicle development, identifying miR-200a as a key regulator that inhibits GEDF proliferation through the Wnt pathway, potentially impacting goose down quality and supporting selective breeding strategies.
September 2023 in “Stem Cells International” This study using human and animal models found that adipose-derived stem cell exosomes promoted hair growth and counteracted dihydrotestosterone's inhibitory effects, suggesting potential therapeutic applications for androgenetic alopecia.
This study identified ISX9 as a novel agonist of the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway, which promoted hair regrowth in mice and may offer a therapeutic approach for alopecia.
January 2020 in “Elsevier eBooks” This chapter provides an overview of phytochemicals with properties to combat alopecia and discusses the potential of flavonoids, found in several herbs, as a safer alternative to synthetic hair loss treatments due to their long-term skin compatibility.
January 2006 in “Advances in developmental biology” This review discusses the roles of the hairless (HR) protein as a corepressor, particularly its impact on RORα-mediated transcriptional repression, and reports no new experimental findings.
This review discusses the role of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in hair follicle development and how natural products that activate this signaling could be used to treat hair loss, but it reports no new experimental results.
788 citations
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February 2007 in “Nature” This review explores how adult skin epithelia preserve stem cell populations for hair follicle regeneration and wound healing, but reports no new experimental results.
759 citations
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February 2009 in “Current Biology” This review summarizes fundamental concepts and recent advancements in hair follicle biology, including insights from mouse models into broader molecular and cellular processes relevant to regeneration and development.
471 citations
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October 2012 in “Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences” This review discusses the roles of key developmental signaling pathways in mammalian skin repair compared to skin development, and suggests these insights could lead to better wound healing therapies, but it reports no new findings.
318 citations
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January 2022 in “Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy” This study systematically reviews the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, discussing its origin, composition, function, involvement in tumors and diseases, and the development of small-molecular compounds targeting this pathway for disease treatment.
300 citations
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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.
223 citations
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January 2014 in “International Journal of Molecular Sciences” This article reviews the complex signaling pathways between epithelial and mesenchymal cells crucial for hair follicle morphogenesis, highlighting the Wnt pathway's role as a master regulator without reporting new experimental findings.
205 citations
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August 2007 in “Experimental Cell Research” This review discusses advances in understanding mammalian stem cell niches, particularly in bone marrow, tooth, and hair follicle, and highlights the potential for developing therapies targeting these niches for tissue repair.
172 citations
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May 2018 in “Nature” Mammalian organs regenerate using stem cells and cell plasticity, but this ability declines with age.
163 citations
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March 2012 in “BMC biology” This forum article in BMC Biology discusses evolving views on the concept of the stem cell niche, highlighting varied mechanisms and the need for better understanding of the niche's roles and functions.
155 citations
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August 2003 in “Journal Of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular And Developmental Evolution” This review discusses the conserved molecular mechanisms controlling hair follicle development and cycling and suggests they may also apply to other ectodermal derivatives, like teeth and feathers, but it reports no new results.