In vivo and in vitro evaluation of hair growth potential of Cacumen Platycladi, and GC-MS analysis of the active constituents of volatile oil

Biotransformation of Cacumen platycladi Extract by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CCFM1348 Promotes Hair Growth in Mice

Cacumen platycladi (CP) is a frequently used traditional Chinese medicine to treat hair loss. In this study, CP fermented by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CCFM1348 increased the proliferation of human dermal papilla cells. In an in vivo assay, compared to nonfermented CP, postbiotics (fermented CP) and synbiotics (live bacteria with nonfermented CP) promoted hair growth in mice. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays crucial roles in the development of hair follicles, including growth cycle restart and maintenance. Both postbiotics and synbiotics upregulated β-catenin, a major factor of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Postbiotics and synbiotics also increased the vascular endothelial growth factor expression and decreased the BAX/Bcl2 ratio in the dorsal skin of mice. These results suggest that fermented CP by L. plantarum CCFM1348 may promote hair growth through regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, promoting the expression of growth factors and reducing apoptosis.

Study on the Efficacy and Potential Mechanism of Topical Shen Bai Hair Growing Decoction against Androgenetic Alopecia Based on Ultrahigh Performance Liquid Chromatography Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry and RNA-seq

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a major problem that can happen to people of all ages, leading to psychological problems, such as anxiety and depression. Topical Shen Bai hair growing decoction (TSBHGD) is based on the pathogenesis of AGA, combined with Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, improved by the Tianjin Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital according to its clinical treatment experience. This study was designed to demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy of TSBHGD against AGA, analyze the chemical components of TSBHGD as well as the skin-retained and blood-retained components in mice after topical administration of TSBHGD, and clarify the mechanism of its therapeutic efficacy. It was demonstrated that TSBHGD could suppress TNF-α and IL-6 levels and improve pathological phenomena such as hair loss, reduced follicle density, and dermal thickness caused by testosterone solution. Totally 35 components were identified in TSBHGD extracts, 12 skin-retained components were identified in drug-containing skin, and 7 blood-retained components were identified in drug-containing plasma, according to ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Transcriptomic sequencing revealed that some of the genes in AGA mice had altered expression patterns, which could be reversed by TSBHGD. Through network pharmacology analysis, it was found that TSBHGD mainly regulated eight signaling pathways, among which the apoptosis signaling pathway ranked first with a significance of 0.00149. Finally, both Bcl-2 and Caspase family proteins in the apoptosis signaling pathway were examined by Western blot. It was confirmed that TSBHGD could inhibit the apoptosis level in AGA mice's skin tissue to exert an anti-AGA effect. This will facilitate the development of new-generation herbal compound formulas with precise efficacy and provide novel ideas for AGA therapy.

Favorable effect of herbal extract on androgenic alopecia: A case report

RATIONALE

Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is a prevalent condition with progressive miniaturization of hair follicles. Currently, reliable treatments have remained limited, and complementary medications for AGA are still being investigated. Traditional Chinese medicine formulas have conspicuous advantages in the treatment of AGA with good development prospects. Zimmer aqueous spray (ZAS) is a water spray containing Zimmer herbal extract powder (ZMWP), which consists of Ligustri lucidi Fructus, Ecliptae Herba, Fallopia multiflora (Thunb.) Harald. and Polygonatum sibiricum Delar. ex Redoute, etc. ZMWP is an active ingredient in the prevention of hair loss. Our aim is to provide evidence for the effectiveness of ZAS in the treatment of AGA.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 41-year-old man had suffered from hair loss for 8 years.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient with moderate AGA received 3 to 4 mL ZAS daily or every other day for 3 months.

OUTCOMES

The hair density obviously increased after 3 months of therapy. The improvement of hair diameter, vellus hair rate, and 1 hair pilosebaceous unit rate were observed with a trichoscopy and quantitatively analyzed. Besides, honeycomb pigment pattern mitigated and arborized red lines.

LESSONS

The results suggested that ZMWP might have the capability of improving hair growth and attenuating AGA, which can be a promising alternative treatment of AGA.

Caizhixuan hair tonic regulates both apoptosis and the PI3K/Akt pathway to treat androgenetic alopecia

PURPOSE

Caizhixuan hair tonic (CZX) is a topical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (AGA). However, its active compounds and underlying mechanism for treating AGA are still unclear. The purpose of this study was to observe the effects of CZX on hair growth promotion in AGA mice and to explore the active components and mechanism.

METHODS

Testosterone propionate was administered subcutaneously to mice to establish an AGA mouse model. The therapeutic effects of CZX on AGA were evaluated by observing skin colour changes, hair growth time, and average hair length; calculating the hair growth score; and performing skin histopathological analysis. Following that, CZX chemical components were analysed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS). Network pharmacology was used to predict the major effects and possible mechanisms of CZX for the treatment of AGA. Furthermore, RT-qPCR and Western blotting were performed to assess the expression of key genes and proteins involved in PI3K/Akt and apoptosis pathways in order to validate CZX's predicted mechanism in AGA.

RESULTS

CZX promoted hair growth and improved the pathological morphology of hair follicles in the skin. In UPLC-Q-TOF/MS analysis, 69 components from CZX were isolated. Based on network pharmacology, CZX alleviated AGA by regulating PI3K/Akt and apoptosis pathways. According to RT-qPCR and Western blotting, CZX upregulated the expressions of PI3K, Akt, and Bcl-2, while downregulating that of Bax and caspase-3.

CONCLUSIONS

CZX promotes hair growth to treat AGA by regulating the PI3K/Akt and apoptosis pathways.

Water extract of cacumen platycladi promotes hair growth through the Akt/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathway

Cacumen Platycladi (CP) consists of the dried needles of Platycladus orientalis L.) Franco. It was clinically demonstrated that it effectively regenerates hair, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Thus, we employed shaved mice to verify the hair growth-promoting capability of the water extract of Cacumen Platycladi (WECP). The morphological and histological analyses revealed that WECP application could significantly promote hair growth and hair follicles (HFs) construction, in comparison to that of control group. Additionally, the skin thickness and hair bulb diameter were significantly increased by the application of WECP in a dose-dependent manner. Besides, the high dose of WECP also showed an effect similar to that of finasteride. In an in vitro assay, WECP stimulated dermal papilla cells (DPCs) proliferation and migration. Moreover, the upregulation of cyclins (cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4)) and downregulation of P21 in WECP-treated cell assays have been evaluated. We identified the ingredients of WECP using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q/TOF-MS) and endeavored to predict their relevant molecular mechanisms by network analysis. We found that the Akt (serine/threonine protein kinase) signaling pathway might be a crucial target of WECP. It has been demonstrated that WECP treatment activated the phosphorylation of Akt and glycogen synthase kinase-3-beta (GSK3β), promoted β-Catenin and Wnt10b accumulation, and upregulated the expression of lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1). We also found that WECP significantly altered the expression levels of apoptosis-related genes in mouse dorsal skin. The enhancement capability of WECP on DPCs proliferation and migration could be abrogated by the Akt-specific inhibitor MK-2206 2HCl. These results suggested that WECP might promote hair growth by modulating DPCs proliferation and migration through the regulation of the Akt/GSK3β/β-Catenin signaling pathway.

Modulation of Hair Growth Promoting Effect by Natural Products

A large number of people suffer from alopecia or hair loss worldwide. Drug-based therapies using minoxidil and finasteride for the treatment of alopecia are available, but they have shown various side effects in patients. Thus, the use of new therapeutic approaches using bioactive products to reduce the risk of anti-hair-loss medications has been emphasized. Natural products have been used since ancient times and have been proven safe, with few side effects. Several studies have demonstrated the use of plants and their extracts to promote hair growth. Moreover, commercial products based on these natural ingredients have been developed for the treatment of alopecia. Several clinical, animal, and cell-based studies have been conducted to determine the anti-alopecia effects of plant-derived biochemicals. This review is a collective study of phytochemicals with anti-alopecia effects, focusing mainly on the mechanisms underlying their hair-growth-promoting effects.

Cedrol from Ginger Ameliorates Rheumatoid Arthritis via Reducing Inflammation and Selectively Inhibiting JAK3 Phosphorylation

Ginger, as a food spice, is widely applied due to its extensive effects. Cedrol (CE) found in ginger is a sesquiterpene with anti-inflammatory activity. The objective of this research is to discuss the efficacy of CE on ameliorating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). CE inhibited chronic inflammation and pain in a dose-dependent manner accompanied by rapid onset and long duration. Besides, CE treatment effectively ameliorated the paw edema volume and arthritis score with no significant effect on body weight. Organ index, T-cell and B-cell proliferation, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry demonstrated that CE had immunological enhancement and attenuated RA effects. Remarkably, inhibition of phosphorylated-JAK3 protein, thereby abating the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inflammation-related mediators, was involved in the potential mechanism of CE efficiency through forming a hydrogen bond with ARG953 and ILE955 in the JAK3 active pocket. At the same time, the pharmacokinetic results showed that the absolute bioavailability of CE at 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg was 30.30, 23.68, and 16.11%, respectively. The current results offered clues for mastering the ameliorated RA of CE and further perfected the effective substance basis on the anti-inflammatory effect of ginger, which was beneficial for further applications.

Hair Growth Promoting Activity of Cedrol Nanoemulsion in C57BL/6 Mice and Its Bioavailability

As the main component of Platycladus orientalis, cedrol has known germinal activity. A range of cedrol formulations have been developed to prevent hair-loss, but compliance remains key issues. In this study, we prepared cedrol nanoemulsion (CE-NE) and determined the particle size and PDI (polydispersion coefficient), investigated the hair growth activity and studied the bioavailability in vitro and in vivo. Results showed that the average particle size of CE-NE is 14.26 ± 0.16 nm, and the PDI value is 0.086 ± 0.019. In vitro drug release investigation and drug release kinetics analysis showed release profile of CE from nanoparticles demonstrates the preferred partition of CE in buffer pH 4.0, the release profile of CE-NE showed a first-order kinetics reaching around 36.7% after 6 h at 37 °C. We artificially depilated the back hair of C57BL/6 mice and compared the efficacy of a designed cedrol nanoemulsion to an existing ointment group. The hair follicles were imaged and quantified using a digital photomicrograph. The results showed that compared with the ointment, CE-NE had positive effects on hair growth, improved drug solubility. Compared with the ointment and 2% minoxidil groups, 50 mg/mL CE-NE led to more robust hair growth. Pharmacokinetics analysis showed that the AUC0-t of CE-NE was 4-fold higher than that of the ointment group, confirming that the bioavailability of the nanoemulsion was greater than that of the ointment. CE-NE also significantly reduced the hair growth time of model mice and significantly increased the growth rate of hair follicles. In conclusion, these data suggest that the nanoemulsion significantly improved the pharmacokinetic properties and hair growth effects cedrol, enhancing its efficacy in vitro and in vivo.

Fisetin Promotes Hair Growth by Augmenting TERT Expression

Although thinning hair and alopecia are not recognized as severe diseases, hair loss has implications for mental health and quality of life; therefore, a large number of studies have been carried out to develop novel hair growth agents. In the present study, we aimed to examine the potential of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), because TERT overexpression in skin activates resting hair follicle bulge stem cells, which triggers initiation of a new hair follicle growth phase and promotes hair synthesis. To this end, we screened polyphenols that activate TERT expression in keratinocytes, and identified resveratrol and fisetin as strong hTERT-augmenting compounds. These polyphenols also regulated the gene expression of cytokines such as IGF-1 and KGF, which activate the β-catenin pathway, and TGF-β1, which plays an important role in maintaining the niche of hair follicle stem cells, thus are thought to play roles in promoting hair growth. We additionally showed that these polyphenols, especially fisetin, promoted hair growth from the shaved dorsal skin of mice, which suggests that these polyphenols activate the transition from telogen to anagen phase. Histological studies indicated that the dorsal skin of mice treated with these polyphenols contained numerous hair follicles and was thickened compared with that in control mice. Furthermore, on the dorsal skin of mice treated with resveratrol and fisetin, a number of proliferating cells (Ki67⁺ cells) were observed around the hair papilla. These results suggest that resveratrol and fisetin induce a shift from telogen to anagen in the hair follicle by inducing proliferation of hair follicle bulge stem cells, thus promoting hair growth.

Drug Delivery System Based On Minoxidil Nanoparticles Promotes Hair Growth In C57BL/6 Mice

Purpose

We designed formulations based on minoxidil (MXD) nanoparticles (N-MXD) and examined whether N-MXD can increase drug delivery into the follicles. In addition, we investigated the effect of N-MXD on hair growth in C57BL/6 mice.

Methods

N-MXD (1%) was prepared as follows: methylcellulose, p-hydroxyalkylbenzoates, mannitol, and MXD were dispersed in purified water and milled using zirconia beads under refrigeration (5500 rpm, 30 s×15 times, intermittent milling). C57BL/6 mice were used to evaluate hair-growth effects. The expression levels of mRNA and protein for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) were determined by real-time PCR and ELISA methods, respectively.

Results

The ratio of solid-MXD was approximately 60% in N-MXD, and the MXD nanoparticles (90-300 nm) were oblong in shape. For the design of nanomedicines, usability is important. Therefore, we measured the stability and toxicity after N-MXD treatment. No agglutination of MXD nanoparticles was detected for 2 weeks, and no redness or MXD powder residue was observed in the skin after repetitive applications of N-MXD. Next, we evaluated hair-growth effects by N-MXD treatment. MXD contents in the skin tissue from N-MXD were lower than for commercially available MXD formulations (CA-MXD). Conversely, MXD contents in the hair bulbs were higher for N-MXD than for CA-MXD, and the drug efficacy of N-MXD was also higher than that of CA-MXD. In addition, the mRNA and protein levels of IGF-1 and VEGF were enhanced by the repetitive application of N-MXD and CA-MXD, and the enhanced IGF-1 and VEGF levels were significantly higher for N-MXD than for CA-MXD.

Conclusion

We designed a novel nanomedicine based on MXD nanoparticles and showed that N-MXD can deliver MXD into hair bulbs via hair follicles and that the therapeutic efficiency for hair growth is higher than for CA-MXD (solution type).