http://www.m-hikari.com/asb/forth/sugayaASB1-4-2010.pdf
Established from previous studies, a heterocyclic pyrrolopyrimidine (PyP)
compound increases endogenous stem cell proliferation. Here, we utilized a
topical PyP to increase cell proliferation of cells responsible for hair production.
Varying doses (0.75, 1.5, 3.0 mg/ml) were applied to shaved, dorsal regions of
mice for 5 consecutive days. Bromodeoxyuridine (100 mg/kg/day, i.p.) was
injected on days 4 and 5 to identify proliferating cells. The PyP dose-dependently
increased hair growth and cell proliferation within the subcutaneous region of the
epidermis. This data suggests the PyP compound has the potential to be a novel
compound for hair restoration.
Of mice and (not, so far) men.
Cell proliferation has been investigated with androgenic alopecia
and its role in hair loss. One study demonstrated cell proliferation is reduced
within balding regions in men with androgenic alopecia when compared to
controls [6].
The PyP induced visible hair re-growth in treated areas, near to its original
length within 7 days, while the control or untreated areas showed no visible regrowth
within the same time frame (Fig. 1). By the seventh day, there was near
complete hair re-growth within the treated sections on the mouse and the control
areas remained predominately free of hair. The mice used had a hair phenotype of
black with a mix of grey, however, the sections of hair that grew back were
completely black.
Our results show that topical
application of a PyP increases hair growth and the number of BrdU positive cells
in the dermis of mice. The increase in cell proliferation due to PyP application
still requires further investigation, but we hypothesize that our compound is
stimulating the endogenous stem cell population within the hair follicle to
increase cell proliferation. If true, our compound should not require continual
application to observe positive results. Our next feasible step will be to test this
compound’s efficacy against similar proven compounds, such as minoxidil,
continue mechanistic studies, and identify the stimulated cell population
