Adenosine, Melatonin, Sleep and Hair

[HairLossFight.com]

Since my_username posted that news release on Shiseido releasing a new treatment called Adenogen (containing Adenosine) I've been looking for information about it. I found an interesting article abstract at pubmed.com on Adenosine, linking it to sleep patterns.

This got me thinking about Melatonin, another substance recently purported to be benefecial for hair loss. Melatonin, like Adenosine, is also involved in sleep and sleep patterns.

Two different substances. Both involved in sleep patterns. Both potentially useful in treating hair loss..... hmmmmmmmmmmm........

Here's the abstract from pubmed:

J Theor Biol. 2005 Mar 7;233(1):103-18. Epub 2004 Nov 11. Related Articles, Links

Toward an integrative theory of sleep and dreaming.

Muzur A.

Rijeka University School of Philosophy, Omladinska 14, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia.

Non-rapid-eye-movement sleep (NREMS) is triggered by the accumulation of adenosine, as a result of the perceptual overload of the brain cortex. NREMS starts in the most burdened regions of the cortex first and then eventually, after the released adenosine has reached the ventrolateral pre-optic nucleus area of the hypothalamus, triggers the "general NREMS pattern". This is accompanied by the usual familiar changes in the thalamocortical system. When NREMS reaches the slow-wave sleep (SWS) phase, with its predominant delta activity, brain metabolism drops significantly with the brain temperature, and this is recognized by the alarm system in the pre-optic anterior hypothalamus and/or the other thermostat circuit in the brainstem as a life-threatening situation. This alarm system triggers a reaction similar to abortive or partial awakening called rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMS), which is aimed at restoring the optimal body-core temperature. As soon as this restoration is accomplished by the activation of the brainstem-to-cortex ascending pathways, NREMS may continue, as may the interchange of the two sleep phases during the entire sleep period. During both NREMS and REMS, the same essential pattern occurs in the cortex: the loops "used" during the previous waking period, now deprived of external input, replay their waking activity at a lower frequency, one which enables them to restore the membrane's potential (possibly by means of LTD). During REMS, however, the cholinergic flood originating in the LTD/PPT nuclei of the pons tegmentum, increases in the basal forebrain and, provoking theta activity in the medial septum is extended to the hippocampus, causing the circuits that are active at that particular moment in the cortex, to store the information they carry as memory. This is the explanation of both the memory improvement known to be related to REMS and of dreams. Both phenomena are clearly side effects of REMS.

Regards,
Sam

[Tricia]

That's very interesting. Adenosine and melatonin levels drop off with age, so no wonder we sleep less and lose hair.

[HairLossFight.com]

I think all of this information adds weight to the theory that getting quality sleep is beneficial for people with hair loss. I'm not implying that you'll have any regrowth, but perhaps you can slow the rate of hair loss somewhat by getting good sleep.

Perhaps Melatonin supplements can be helpful...

[cyberelia]

I have melatonin, but I don't know how use it as a topical! Could you help me?

[HairLossFight.com]

I don't really know how to prep one either. Perhaps do what some people have considered and mix up a bit of Kirkland Minox with it....

[HairIam]

Here's some info from another hair loss website: http://www.hairlosshelp.com/forums/mess ... SGDBTABLE=

I thought my hair loss decreased while I was using prescription Melatonin for insomnia. That was two years ago so it's interesting that I thought this long before now.

More search results: various threads on the subject:

http://www.hairlosshelp.com/forums/sear ... imeout=500

[Akira]

cyberelia u (mmmhh farmacist is better ) can do a lotion with these ingredients:

-Melatonin 0.5%
-Caffeine 1%
-Vitamin E 0.5% or lipoic acid 0.5% (Add these if u want, not necessary but useful)

-glycerine 10 ml
-Alcohol 60/70 until 100 ml

[Akira]

i find it:

"Hair Research Update
Melatonin increases anagen hair rate in women with androgenetic alopecia or diffuse alopecia: results of a pilot randomized controlled trial.
Br J Dermatol. 2004 Feb;150(2):341-5.
In addition to the well-known hormonal influences of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone on the hair cycle, melatonin has been reported to have a beneficial effect on hair growth in animals. The effect of melatonin on hair growth in humans has not been investigated so far. OBJECTIVES: To examine whether topically applied melatonin influences anagen and telogen hair rate in women with androgenetic or diffuse hair loss. METHODS: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted in 40 women suffering from diffuse alopecia or androgenetic alopecia. A 0.1% melatonin or a placebo solution was applied on the scalp once daily for 6 months and trichograms were performed to assess anagen and telogen hair rate. To monitor effects of treatment on physiological melatonin levels, blood samples were taken over the whole study period. RESULTS: Melatonin led to a significantly increased anagen hair rate in occipital hair in women with androgenetic hair loss compared with placebo. For frontal hair, melatonin gave a significant increase in the group with diffuse alopecia. The occipital hair samples of patients with diffuse alopecia and the frontal hair counts of those with androgenetic alopecia also showed an increase of anagen hair, but differences were not significant. Plasma melatonin levels increased under treatment with melatonin, but did not exceed the physiological night peak. CONCLUSIONS: To the authors' knowledge, this pilot study is the first to show that topically applied melatonin might influence hair growth in humans in vivo. The mode of action is not known, but the effect might result from an induction of anagen phase."

[Jacob]

cyberelia u (mmmhh farmacist is better ) can do a lotion with these ingredients:

-Melatonin 0.5%
-Caffeine 1%
-Vitamin E 0.5% or lipoic acid 0.5% (Add these if u want, not necessary but useful)

-glycerine 10 ml
-Alcohol 60/70 until 100 ml

Equisomin contains all those you've listed there..MINUS the glycerine and alcohol

Are you a pharmacist by the way?

[Akira]

i didn't know jacob... i discovered Equisomin yesterday thank u
no i am not a pharmacist, but i know many lotions that a pharmacist can make useful for baldness . I like experiments

[Jacob]

I like experimental stuff as well...but I don't like making my own topicals

[Akira]

me neither

my pharmacist yes

[HairLossFight.com]

Jacob,

That equisomin looks better to me by the day... I'll probably give it a shot eventually, if the protopic doesn't turn out to work well for me.

Studies like the one Akira just posted, and others we've recently seen give a fair amount of weight to considering adding equisomin to ones regimen. You've been recommending it all along Jacob. I'd like to eventually review it for the site.

Sam