Foligain® for hair loss for men and women
Signs of male pattern baldness (Androgenetic Alopecia) usually begin when men are between the ages of twenty and forty-five. Male pattern baldness is hereditary and is caused by a male hormone called Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) being over produced in the body. When there is too much DHT in the scalp, it causes hair to fall out. The initial hair loss in male pattern baldness is almost always at the crown of the head, or near the temples.
The main thing to look for in a hair loss supplement is a DHT blocker. Blocking DHT from the scalp it the key to ending hair loss. The next thing you need is a product with the proper ingredients to promote circulation to the scalp, increasing hair growth. The final thing to look for is nutrients to clean away dead hair follicles, and feed the healthy and new hair follicles, so hair will be healthy.
How does Foligain® work?
• Foligain® reaches the follicle through the blood stream
• Foligain® promotes the growth of thick, healthy-looking hair
• Foligain® provides thehair follicles with the proper nutrients in order to grow
What are the key ingredients in Foligain®?
Like all cells in your body, your hair follicles need the proper nutrients in the proper amounts in order to grow. For many of these nutrients the most effective way for them to reach the follicle is through the blood stream when taken as an oral supplement.
Foligain® combines natural vitamins, minerals, DHT blockers, and compounds that promote the growth of thick, healthy-looking hair.
• Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract: Ginkgo Biloba fastens blood flow to important peripheral part of human body along with fine capillaries thus directly affecting scalp parts. Blood carries oxygen with it so if there is more blood flow there is automatically more oxygen supply, oxygen brings more nutrients with it and all in all essential vitamins E & A give a new lease of life every time to the scalp.
• Saw Palmetto Berry Extract: Works by interrupting hormonal signals and therefore reducing the uptake by the hair follicles of a damaging chemicalcalled dyhydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is also responsible for shrinking hair follicle with which the hair follicle gets smaller and finer. This is referred to as miniaturization with which the hair ultimately falls off. This is how DHT is responsible for about 95% of hair loss. The men or women who lose more hair are those who are genetically pre-disposed in producing more DHT than others.
• Nettle Leaf Extract:Nettle herb is an exceptional plant for restoring health and beauty to your hair. Nettle works on the inside of your body as well as the outside. Rich in minerals and vitamins to nourish every system in your body, nettles will make your hair grow, gleam, get thick and darken. An added bonus is smooth, clear skin and hard nails.
• Folate:Because folate is important in tissue growth and cellular function, it is essential for your body to have enough of it to produce healthy skin, nails and hair, because these body parts must regenerate rapidly. Folic acid therefore helps prevent hair loss. It also may be a factor in keeping your hair from becoming gray.
• Biotin:Biotin is a major component in the natural hair manufacturing process it is essential to not only grow new hair, but it also plays a major role in the overall health of skin and nails.
• Iodine:Iodine can affect hair loss because it directly affects your thyroid gland, which in turn, directly affects the health of your hair follicles. Hair follicles are delicate and very susceptible to being damaged. Healthy hair follicles grow shiny, thick, healthy hair, while unhealthy follicles lead to just the opposite.
• Zinc: Deficiency in zinc can contribute a lot to hair shedding because without zinc and other related minerals, you hair shafts get weakened, causing hair breakage and very slow hair regrowth. Zinc benefits for hair include promotion of cell reproduction, tissue growth and repair of broken tissues. It also maintains the oil-secreting glands that are attached to your hair follicles, thus decreasing their chances of falling off.
• Copper:Copper helps to form hemoglobin in the blood cells and helps to carry the oxygen in the red blood cells. A diet deficient in copper does not help the body to make the hemoglobin needed to carry sufficient blood supply to the hair roots. When hair does not get the vitamins and minerals that it needs, it will die and fall out. The amount of hair loss you experience as a result of this depends on the extent of the copper deficiency.
• Niacin:Since niacin has a dilating effect on vessels and capillaries it is thought to be increasing circulation to the scalp and stimulating ‘hair growth’.
• Vitamin B6:Vitamin B6 is thought to prevent hair loss and help create melanin, the pigment which gives hair its color.
• Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): Prevents graying and hair loss.
• Beta-Sitosterol: Beta sitosterol is a natural plant extract used to stop hair loss in men and women. It has androgen-blocking properties which enable it to target the hormones responsible for male and female pattern baldness. When taken orally as a daily supplement, beta sitosterol has been shown to work best on men and women who have only recently noticed excessive hair loss or signs of premature balding. It's less effective on people who have had significant hair loss over the years
• Taurine: In a 2006 French study published in the "International Journal of Cosmetic Science," researchers confirmed that when the follicle's bulb takes in Taurine, it increases hair survival in vitro (test tubes) and prevents a specific inhibitor of hair growth called TGP.
• Jaborandi Leaves: Strengthens hair against breakage and loss. Promotes hair's natural shine.
• American Ginseng Root Extract: Ginseng is a wonderful herb that has many benefits. One of these is that it increases stimulation and improves circulation. This has helped those who are suffering from hair loss or weak and damaged hair. Ginseng will also remove any toxins that may be clogging your hair follicles, slowing down or stalling new hair growth.
What Can I Expect When Using Foligain®:
Foligain® begins to go to work immediately, but it takes some time to see visible results. Foligain® systematically works to re-grow your new hair as follows:
• Before new hair is grown, Foligain® works to stop hair loss
• Next, your existing hair becomes fuller and healthier
• Finally, new hair starts to blossom
Typically, after a few weeks you will notice less hair loss. Some hair loss is normal (even those with the fullest heads of hair lose around 100 hairs a day), but you should start to notice less hair in the shower drain or on your comb or brush. Your existing hair should also start to appear thicker and healthier.
Next, you should start to notice new hair. Please remember that hair usually only grows ½ inch to 1 inch a month. Some users see noticeable amounts of new hair after three months, others take longer. So be patient, by the end of months 6-8 you should start to notice a difference in your photographs (and others will notice for you!).
miercuri, 7 septembrie 2011
Rogaine® Foam with 5% Minoxidil
Rogaine® Foam with 5% Minoxidil
Rogaine® Foam is a white foam containing 5% minoxidil for use only on the scalp to help regrow hair in men. A simple, painless, clinically proven answer to hair loss.
Why go with foam?
It fits: Men’s ROGAINE Foam fits easily into your grooming routine, and won’t interfere with your current hair styling products. Just use it twice daily—once in the morning and once at night.
It’s easy: Men’s ROGAINE Foam takes just seconds to apply—and it dries quickly.
It works: Men’s ROGAINE Foam is clinically proven to regrow hair in 85% of men who use it twice daily.
Minoxidil: Scientifically proven to regrow scalp hair lost to male pattern baldness.
• Three bottles total (approximately three month supply)
• For men who have a general thinning of hair on top of the scalp
• Slows or stops hair loss within a few months of use
• 5% minoxidil topical solution
Actual Customer's Results after 5 Months of use
What is Minoxidil?
Minoxidil was the first drug approved by the American Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (hair loss). Before that, minoxidil had been used as vasodilator drug prescribed as oral tablet to treat high blood pressure, with side effects that included hair growth and reversal of male baldness.
For the treatment of hair loss, minoxidil is available as a topical solution that is generally either 2% or 5% minoxidil in propylene glycol. The propylene glycol ensures that the applied minoxidil is evenly spread across the affected area and easily absorbed through the skin.
How does Minoxidil work?
Minoxidil topical solution is used to stimulate hair growth in people who are balding. The drug seems to exert its maximum effect at the crown of the head. The exact way that minoxidil works is not known, but it may stimulate hair growth by improving the blood supply to the hair follicles.
What scientific studies give evidence to support its effectiveness?
Dermatologists conducted a 1-year observational study in 984 men with male-pattern hair loss. The study evaluated the effectiveness of a 5% minoxidil topical solution in halting hair loss and stimulating new hair growth. Over the 1-year period of the study, patients applied 1 milliliter (ml) of 5% minoxidil solution twice day to hair-loss areas of the scalp.
At the end of 1 year:
• The dermatologist investigators reported that hair loss areas of the scalp had become smaller in 62% of the patients.
• In evaluating minoxidil effectiveness in stimulating hair regrowth, the investigators found the 5% solution very effective in 15.9% of patients, effective in 47.8% and moderately effective in 20.6%.
• Hairs lost during washing numbered a mean 69.7 at the beginning of the study, and a mean 33.8 at the end of the study - a measure of the effectiveness of 5% minoxidil in halting hair loss in the patients studied.
• Side effects, mostly dermatologic, were reported by 3.9% of patients in the study. None of the side effects was classified as serious.
Cautions:
• For external use only.
• Do not use if you are a woman, not sure of the reason for your hair loss, under 18 years of age or using other medicines on the scalp.
• Using more or more often than recomended will not improve results.
• Avoid contact with eyes. In case of accidental contact with the eyes, rinse with large amounts of cool tap water.
Revita® hair growth stimulating shampoo
Revita® hair growth stimulating shampoo
Revita is the most efficient hair growth stimulating shampoo available in the market and is the final result of DS Laboratories efforts on cutting edge research. Revita is a powerful combination of precious materials specially designed to maintain scalp vitality and act on follicle dysfunctions in order to achieve best results in short periods of time. This formulation is developed completely without the use of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate, commonly used low cost detergents in shampoos and cleansers that are linked to skin irritation, drying, and hair loss due to follicle attack.
Revita includes the following top level ingredients at high concentrations chosen exclusively for their properties and obtained using a “chemical free” extraction process to preserve maximum efficacy of the final components: Caffeine, Copper Peptides, Spin Traps, Ketoconazole, Rooibos, MSM, Apple Polyphenol (procyanidin B2 and C1), Carnitine Tartrate, Ornitine, Taurine, Cysteine, Emu Oil, and Biotin.
By combining an antioxidant effect, anti-DHT properties, powerful hydrating molecules, hair growth stimulants, and structural amino acids, Revita brings you the most effective hair growth stimulating shampoo available with absolutely no equivalent in the market.
Directions for use: After applying Revita with a gentle massage , you should leave it on the scalp from 1 – 2 minutes before rinsing. Then repeat and leave on the scalp 3 – 5 minutes. If desired, follow with a high quality conditioner. For optimal results, Revita should be used at least 5 times per week.
Hair follicle bulge stem cells
Hair follicle bulge stem cells
Scientists have been researching hair follicles to try and understand what causes hair loss. They have determined that the cause of hair loss is determined by what are called the "stem cells". These stem cells reside in the hair follicles in an area known as "the bulge". Because these stem cells live in the area known as the bulge, they are also commonly referred to as "bulge cells".
In order to better understand the genetics behind "bulge cells", scientists introduced something called "promoters" into their research. The promoters were combined with the bulge cells in order to create certain prevailing conditions. In fact, the promoters were designed to isolate the bulge cells so that they could be more easily analyzed by the scientists. Without their being isolated, scientists couldn't even determine what the bulge cells were. They also couldn't determine what kind of treatments the bulge cells might respond to. Once the scientists had these bulge cells in a position where they could view them and analyze them, they were better able to consider whatever possible treatments might be available.
The three promoters that were introduced into the bulge cells for the purpose of isolating and analyzing them were Keratin 15 or "K15", Enhanced Green Florescent Protein or "EGFP" and Cre Recombinase and Progersterone Receptor or "CrePR1". These three promoters made it easier for scientists to separate the specific bulge cells that they wanted to analyze and then to consider further treatment for these cells. These three promoters brought them to the first phase of the discovery for the treatment of hair loss.
Through the use of the three different promoters, K15, EGFP and CrePR1, it was discovered that bulge cells were actually made up of all of the basic cell types in the internal membranous tissue of the body. The same tissue that exists as a membrane around your internal organs such as liver, pancreas, etc. also exists in bulge cells at the base of your hair follicles! This was good news for scientists because it meant that bulge cells could possibly provide the necessary building blocks for healthier hair. If they had not been producing the right kind of hair at a specific time, at least they still had the potential to do so in the future. All the scientists needed was to find out was how to make these bulge cells reproduce the necessary cells for healthy hair. With the bulge cells isolated and properly analyzed, they were ready to try out a treatment.
Scientists went on to test a treatment on the isolated bulge cells with something called "RU486". RU486, in combination with the previously mentioned "promoters" brought about a huge array of new discoveries. Scientists discovered a long list of gene types in the bulge cells that responded positively to the RU486 drug. In fact, these gene types were responding so positively, that scientists thought they might now be capable of contributing to the actual regeneration of hair follicles themselves. Scientists could now target these gene types and eventually see further means for promoting more and more hair growth.
The list of gene types and the subsequent prospects that they promised toward healthy hair growth were extremely numerous. In fact, there were 157 genes that were shown to be present in the stem cells and almost half of these seemed to respond quite favorably to the RU486 treatment.
Of course, in terms of stem cell research, there is still a considerable way to go before scientists can determine the exact treatments that will be necessary for promoting this new genetic response in stem cells. Still, one of the main hurdles has certainly been overcome with the discovery of RU486 and its effects on bulge cells. RU486, in combination with the three promoters, K15, EGFP and CrePR1 have all brought about a great prospect for the future of hair follicle treatment. At least in terms of a hopeful tomorrow, genetic research is looking extremely bright.
Scientists have been researching hair follicles to try and understand what causes hair loss. They have determined that the cause of hair loss is determined by what are called the "stem cells". These stem cells reside in the hair follicles in an area known as "the bulge". Because these stem cells live in the area known as the bulge, they are also commonly referred to as "bulge cells".
In order to better understand the genetics behind "bulge cells", scientists introduced something called "promoters" into their research. The promoters were combined with the bulge cells in order to create certain prevailing conditions. In fact, the promoters were designed to isolate the bulge cells so that they could be more easily analyzed by the scientists. Without their being isolated, scientists couldn't even determine what the bulge cells were. They also couldn't determine what kind of treatments the bulge cells might respond to. Once the scientists had these bulge cells in a position where they could view them and analyze them, they were better able to consider whatever possible treatments might be available.
The three promoters that were introduced into the bulge cells for the purpose of isolating and analyzing them were Keratin 15 or "K15", Enhanced Green Florescent Protein or "EGFP" and Cre Recombinase and Progersterone Receptor or "CrePR1". These three promoters made it easier for scientists to separate the specific bulge cells that they wanted to analyze and then to consider further treatment for these cells. These three promoters brought them to the first phase of the discovery for the treatment of hair loss.
Through the use of the three different promoters, K15, EGFP and CrePR1, it was discovered that bulge cells were actually made up of all of the basic cell types in the internal membranous tissue of the body. The same tissue that exists as a membrane around your internal organs such as liver, pancreas, etc. also exists in bulge cells at the base of your hair follicles! This was good news for scientists because it meant that bulge cells could possibly provide the necessary building blocks for healthier hair. If they had not been producing the right kind of hair at a specific time, at least they still had the potential to do so in the future. All the scientists needed was to find out was how to make these bulge cells reproduce the necessary cells for healthy hair. With the bulge cells isolated and properly analyzed, they were ready to try out a treatment.
Scientists went on to test a treatment on the isolated bulge cells with something called "RU486". RU486, in combination with the previously mentioned "promoters" brought about a huge array of new discoveries. Scientists discovered a long list of gene types in the bulge cells that responded positively to the RU486 drug. In fact, these gene types were responding so positively, that scientists thought they might now be capable of contributing to the actual regeneration of hair follicles themselves. Scientists could now target these gene types and eventually see further means for promoting more and more hair growth.
The list of gene types and the subsequent prospects that they promised toward healthy hair growth were extremely numerous. In fact, there were 157 genes that were shown to be present in the stem cells and almost half of these seemed to respond quite favorably to the RU486 treatment.
Of course, in terms of stem cell research, there is still a considerable way to go before scientists can determine the exact treatments that will be necessary for promoting this new genetic response in stem cells. Still, one of the main hurdles has certainly been overcome with the discovery of RU486 and its effects on bulge cells. RU486, in combination with the three promoters, K15, EGFP and CrePR1 have all brought about a great prospect for the future of hair follicle treatment. At least in terms of a hopeful tomorrow, genetic research is looking extremely bright.
Report on the North American Hair Research Society
Short report on the North American Hair Research Society annual conference, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA
The Bar Harbor conference was basic hair biology oriented so not really directed at finding treatments for hair loss diseases. We had reviews on gene expression and techniques for locating genes in disease, extensive reviews on hair follicle morphology and also comparison of hair follicles to nails and teeth as related skin structures.
The highlights included Dr Christiano talking about the hairless gene. This has been demonstrated not to be involved in androgenetic alopecia. DR Christiano's team have been applying the hr mutant gene to normal mice as a gene therapy. The application inhibited hair growth. Although at the (very) experimental stage, DR Christiano suggested it might be a possible gene therapy to treat excess hair growth. DR Christiano has now identified several different forms of hairless gene mutation in humans and several individuals previously diagnosed as having alopecia areata were found to have a hairless gene mutation after testing (congenital or papular atrichia).
DR Elise Olsen gave a review of androgenetic hair loss in women and suggested that the ludwig grading system was not a good categorization method for female pattern baldness. She suggested a more complex categorization system based on hair parting width and the amount of hair loss in the frontal vertex region. This system is to be published shortly.
Of interest to me was an announcement during the conference that a grant application to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) to set up a central DNA repository for alopecia areata research had been awarded. The will involve funding worth $2.7 million over a 5 year period. The following are the sites of the registry; University of Texas, Houston, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver Columbia University, New York, New York, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and University of California, San Francisco.
Genes and gene therapy was a big focus at the conference. Several seminars discussed gene expression during the hair cycle and showed that several wnt genes and the Noggin gene are fundamentally involved in hair cycling and growth. Gene therapy reviewed by Lorne Taichman showed that in principle it is possible to transfect hair follicle cells with genes and have gene expression persist for at least 16 weeks. His team transfected a lacZ reporter gene into mouse hair follicles and the gene activity was still present, albeit in a patchy manner, 16 weeks later. They are confident they had transfected hair follicle stem cells given the expression lasted so long.
Maybe of most interest to you would have been the talk by Keith Kaufman from Merck. He gave the typical review of Propecia, but a few slides he flashed up were new to me. The most recent results on Propecia show that the individuals who have been using for 5 years now are starting to have a decline in the hair density. Before the hair density had always gradually climbed year on year and the placebo users had progressively declined. However, both groups at year 5 had a drop in hair density although the Propecia users still have much more hair than the placebo users.
The typical anagen growth phase for scalp hair last 4-5 years. So it was suggested that the decline was because the hair follicles, under the control of Propecia, were entering a telogen phase at about the same time. Hair follicles cycle in a random mosaic pattern in humans but the cycle can be coordinated under the control of drugs like minoxidil and Propecia. I guess Merck will be hoping the hair density will bounce up again with next years results.
Merck very briefly discussed new treatments from themselves and Glaxo. Merck suggested there might be some dangers in using a type I and II 5 alpha reductase inhibitor such as Glaxo's Dutasteride and Turosteride drugs. The 5 alpha reductase inhibitors would lead to a significant
increase in testosterone and this could be transformed into estrogens by other enzymes in the body. Consequently, it was suggested that there could be an increased potential risk of estrogen disorders in Dutasteride users. Kaufman also briefly flashed up a slide on other potential drugs for androgenetic alopecia including "melformin" and "thiazolidinediones"
The Bar Harbor conference was basic hair biology oriented so not really directed at finding treatments for hair loss diseases. We had reviews on gene expression and techniques for locating genes in disease, extensive reviews on hair follicle morphology and also comparison of hair follicles to nails and teeth as related skin structures.
The highlights included Dr Christiano talking about the hairless gene. This has been demonstrated not to be involved in androgenetic alopecia. DR Christiano's team have been applying the hr mutant gene to normal mice as a gene therapy. The application inhibited hair growth. Although at the (very) experimental stage, DR Christiano suggested it might be a possible gene therapy to treat excess hair growth. DR Christiano has now identified several different forms of hairless gene mutation in humans and several individuals previously diagnosed as having alopecia areata were found to have a hairless gene mutation after testing (congenital or papular atrichia).
DR Elise Olsen gave a review of androgenetic hair loss in women and suggested that the ludwig grading system was not a good categorization method for female pattern baldness. She suggested a more complex categorization system based on hair parting width and the amount of hair loss in the frontal vertex region. This system is to be published shortly.
Of interest to me was an announcement during the conference that a grant application to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) to set up a central DNA repository for alopecia areata research had been awarded. The will involve funding worth $2.7 million over a 5 year period. The following are the sites of the registry; University of Texas, Houston, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver Columbia University, New York, New York, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and University of California, San Francisco.
Genes and gene therapy was a big focus at the conference. Several seminars discussed gene expression during the hair cycle and showed that several wnt genes and the Noggin gene are fundamentally involved in hair cycling and growth. Gene therapy reviewed by Lorne Taichman showed that in principle it is possible to transfect hair follicle cells with genes and have gene expression persist for at least 16 weeks. His team transfected a lacZ reporter gene into mouse hair follicles and the gene activity was still present, albeit in a patchy manner, 16 weeks later. They are confident they had transfected hair follicle stem cells given the expression lasted so long.
Maybe of most interest to you would have been the talk by Keith Kaufman from Merck. He gave the typical review of Propecia, but a few slides he flashed up were new to me. The most recent results on Propecia show that the individuals who have been using for 5 years now are starting to have a decline in the hair density. Before the hair density had always gradually climbed year on year and the placebo users had progressively declined. However, both groups at year 5 had a drop in hair density although the Propecia users still have much more hair than the placebo users.
The typical anagen growth phase for scalp hair last 4-5 years. So it was suggested that the decline was because the hair follicles, under the control of Propecia, were entering a telogen phase at about the same time. Hair follicles cycle in a random mosaic pattern in humans but the cycle can be coordinated under the control of drugs like minoxidil and Propecia. I guess Merck will be hoping the hair density will bounce up again with next years results.
Merck very briefly discussed new treatments from themselves and Glaxo. Merck suggested there might be some dangers in using a type I and II 5 alpha reductase inhibitor such as Glaxo's Dutasteride and Turosteride drugs. The 5 alpha reductase inhibitors would lead to a significant
increase in testosterone and this could be transformed into estrogens by other enzymes in the body. Consequently, it was suggested that there could be an increased potential risk of estrogen disorders in Dutasteride users. Kaufman also briefly flashed up a slide on other potential drugs for androgenetic alopecia including "melformin" and "thiazolidinediones"
Renewal of Hair Follicles from Adult Multipotent Stem Cells
Renewal of Hair Follicles from Adult Multipotent Stem Cells
Stem cells able to reconstitute the skin, as well as hair follicles, were identified for the first time in an adult mammal by a French team of researchers. "Starting from a small group of about 500 stem cell stocks, we grew a piece of skin with hair follicles and sebaceous glands for the first time," said Dr Yann Barrandon, a cell specialist at the National Institute for Science and Medical Research and Paris's elite Ecole Normale Supérieure.
Stem cells are premature cells that develop into various organs. The most spectacular are found in embryos at their very earliest days of development. Embryo stem cells can grow into almost any part of the body, a finding that raises hopes they can eventually be "programmed" into growing replacement limbs or organs in a laboratory. This work, "provides the first direct proof of the existence of these cells and their capacities to reproduce skin", said Yann Barrandon the leader of the research team. These results, so far only obtained using mice, open significant prospects in dermatology to replace the skin in badly burned persons or to combat skin cancer, and also represent a new hope for bald people.
Humans have approximately five hair follicles per square centimeter of skin, against 50 for the mouse. These stem cell stocks, located close to the root of the hair, are able to give rise to all the lines of cells necessary to reconstitute the skin epidermis, sebaceous glands, and the hair follicles. These invaluable cells are mainly located in the hair follicle structure. The follicles represent "reseviors" of cell stocks of the skin. In humans as in rats, each one of these follicules would contain some 1500 stem cells. The cell stocks can migrate in different directions, to the bottom (towards the root of the hair) or the top of the follicle. According to the path followed, the cells specialize in the manufacture of hair follicles, secaceous glands or the keratinocyte cells of the skin.
Researchers hope to be able to find the molecules that guide these cells to become one of the three different structures (hair, sebaceous gland or skin). There are several potential applications for this research including potential new therapies for pattern baldness, by supporting the growth of the hair, or to solve an excess of hair growth (hypertrichosis) by the selective destruction of hair follicle stem cells. "Half of humanity wants to have more hair on the head and the other less hair on the legs", summarizes Dr Ariane Rochat, joint author of this 5 year long research project.
The research may also be useful for developing skin grafts containing hair and sebaceous glands for badly burned persons, explains Ariane Rochat. This research "could also contribute to the understanidng of cutaneous cancers and the recent increase in numbers affected, as 700000 cases were counted this year in the United States alone", said Yann Barrandon. The Parisian team had already isolated from the stem cell stocks of human skin, published in Cell medical journal in 1994, but were unable to show the potential of the cells to reconstitute skin. Thus the next stage is, "to make the same thing with human stem cells".
Stem cells able to reconstitute the skin, as well as hair follicles, were identified for the first time in an adult mammal by a French team of researchers. "Starting from a small group of about 500 stem cell stocks, we grew a piece of skin with hair follicles and sebaceous glands for the first time," said Dr Yann Barrandon, a cell specialist at the National Institute for Science and Medical Research and Paris's elite Ecole Normale Supérieure.
Stem cells are premature cells that develop into various organs. The most spectacular are found in embryos at their very earliest days of development. Embryo stem cells can grow into almost any part of the body, a finding that raises hopes they can eventually be "programmed" into growing replacement limbs or organs in a laboratory. This work, "provides the first direct proof of the existence of these cells and their capacities to reproduce skin", said Yann Barrandon the leader of the research team. These results, so far only obtained using mice, open significant prospects in dermatology to replace the skin in badly burned persons or to combat skin cancer, and also represent a new hope for bald people.
Humans have approximately five hair follicles per square centimeter of skin, against 50 for the mouse. These stem cell stocks, located close to the root of the hair, are able to give rise to all the lines of cells necessary to reconstitute the skin epidermis, sebaceous glands, and the hair follicles. These invaluable cells are mainly located in the hair follicle structure. The follicles represent "reseviors" of cell stocks of the skin. In humans as in rats, each one of these follicules would contain some 1500 stem cells. The cell stocks can migrate in different directions, to the bottom (towards the root of the hair) or the top of the follicle. According to the path followed, the cells specialize in the manufacture of hair follicles, secaceous glands or the keratinocyte cells of the skin.
Researchers hope to be able to find the molecules that guide these cells to become one of the three different structures (hair, sebaceous gland or skin). There are several potential applications for this research including potential new therapies for pattern baldness, by supporting the growth of the hair, or to solve an excess of hair growth (hypertrichosis) by the selective destruction of hair follicle stem cells. "Half of humanity wants to have more hair on the head and the other less hair on the legs", summarizes Dr Ariane Rochat, joint author of this 5 year long research project.
The research may also be useful for developing skin grafts containing hair and sebaceous glands for badly burned persons, explains Ariane Rochat. This research "could also contribute to the understanidng of cutaneous cancers and the recent increase in numbers affected, as 700000 cases were counted this year in the United States alone", said Yann Barrandon. The Parisian team had already isolated from the stem cell stocks of human skin, published in Cell medical journal in 1994, but were unable to show the potential of the cells to reconstitute skin. Thus the next stage is, "to make the same thing with human stem cells".
Growth factor protein promotes thicker hair
Growth factor protein promotes thicker hair
Scientists in Boston, USA, claimed they have found a protein normally associated with blood vessel growth that also makes hair follicles bigger. Dr. Michael Detmar, associate professor of dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who led the study compared two groups of mice one "wild-type" and the other genetically bred to produce extra vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the skin.
The scientists found, the mice with extra VEGF grew fur faster and thicker in the first two weeks of life. When the mice were shaved at two months of age, they grew back fur that was 70 percent thicker than "wild-type" mice. Blood vessels surrounding their fur follicles were also larger and when they treated normal mice with a drug that blocks VEGF, their fur grew in thin and developed bald spots. "So by modulating VEGF production in the skin, we can directly influence the size of the hair," Detmar said.
"In male pattern hair loss, it's not that the follicles are gone. They're just miniaturized" said Detmar. "If anyone could find a way to make the follicles bigger, men might grow hair again." The key, he and colleagues report in the Feb. 19 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, might be a protein called VEGF now used experimentally to help people grow their own heart bypasses.
VEGF, or vascular endothelial growth factor, helps the body grow blood vessels. It can help heart disease patients and is one of the proteins blocked in certain experimental anti-cancer therapies aimed at starving out tumors. The researchers are now working on a way to get VEGF into the scalp in a cream or ointment. "The question now is can we, by this method, improve hair growth in humans?" said Detmar. "Applying it to humans will be a big challenge."
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is a naturally produced chemical called a cytokine. Cytokines are a signalling mechanisms that cells use to communicate with each other. cells with approriate cytokine receptors react in specific ways when they receive a signal. As its name suggests, VEGF stimulates endothelial cells of blood vessels to proliferate and grow, a mechanism celled angiogenesis (angio=blood vessel, genesis=formation).
VEGF was originally identified in tumor biology. Tumors grow very large very rapidly and to do this they need a lot of nutrients. To ensure a good supply, tumor cells may produce VEGF to induce blood vessels in surrounding healthy tissue to grow into the tumor. VEGF production and increased angiogenesis can also bee seen in wound healing and in some diseases such as psoriasis. However, VEGF is also produced by normal, healthy cells in various organs to maintain a good blood supply.
VEGF as a stimulator of hair growth is not a new idea. Several studies looking at product expression have demonstrated VEGF production in various hair follicle compartments. Hair folicles have a cycle of growth, called anagen and rest, telogen. When hair follicles are resting they are relatively small an inactive, but when they enter a growth phase they become much larger and the cells of growing hair follicles are the fastest proliferating non-tumor cells in the body. To enable this increased cellular activity, a good nutrient supply is required and it has been shown that as hair follicles leave telogen and enter anagen, angiogenesis is stimulated. An intricate network of blood vessels forms and surrounds hair follicles as they enter anagen.
This study is a significant step in our understanding of hair cycle control and is the first to perform functional assays on hair follicle growth under the influence of VEGF. The scientists were previously involved with examining VEGF and angiogenesis in skin tumors and other inflammatory skin diseases. For their studies, they produced a genetically mutated (transgenic) mouse that consistently over expresses VEGF in the skin. In their previous studies they noted that the skin developed a very extensive system of blood vessels and they hypothesised that this might affect hair follicle activity.
This study examined tissues from the transgenic high VEGF expressing mice for the extent of angiogenesis around hair follicles, measured the size of the hair follicles, and compared these statistics with those from normal mice. In addition, the researchers injected an antibody that blocks VEGF activity into normal mice and also exposed cultured hair follicle cells to VEGF. They found that the transgenic mice had significantly larger anagen hair follicles in association with VEGF production and angiogenesis as compared to normal mice. Blocking VEGF activity resulted in a delay of hair follicles switching from telogen to anagen and much smaller anagen hair follicles developed. Their culture studies showed that VEGF had no direct stimulatory effect on hair follicle growth. That is, it was the formation of blood vessels that allowed increased hair follicle activity in the mutated mice and not any direct effect on the hair follicle cells by the VEGF signal. The study concludes that VEGF has an important role in controling hair biology and that hair follicle size is partly dependant on VEGF induced angiogenesis.
Previously it has been suggested that impaired angiogenesis may play a role in androgenetic alopecia. However, while VEGF seems to have a significant indirect effect on hair follicles, it does not act in isolation. Many cytokines and other factors can stimulate or inhibit hair follicle activity. Whether hair follicle growth could be stimulated by injecting VEGF or the DNA coding for VEGF into skin remains to be seen. There are potential side effect risks as the angiogenesis would not be restricted to the hair follicles. There will also be other limiting factors involved including the natural production in normal skin of angiogenesis inhibiting factors. The maximum possible size of a hair follicle is probably limited by the size of the dermal papilla and an upper limit to the level of activity by these cells. Most likely then, gene therapy for hair loss could involve VEGF, but in itself this may not be enough. A cocktail of DNA coding for several genes is probably required.
Scientists in Boston, USA, claimed they have found a protein normally associated with blood vessel growth that also makes hair follicles bigger. Dr. Michael Detmar, associate professor of dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who led the study compared two groups of mice one "wild-type" and the other genetically bred to produce extra vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the skin.
The scientists found, the mice with extra VEGF grew fur faster and thicker in the first two weeks of life. When the mice were shaved at two months of age, they grew back fur that was 70 percent thicker than "wild-type" mice. Blood vessels surrounding their fur follicles were also larger and when they treated normal mice with a drug that blocks VEGF, their fur grew in thin and developed bald spots. "So by modulating VEGF production in the skin, we can directly influence the size of the hair," Detmar said.
"In male pattern hair loss, it's not that the follicles are gone. They're just miniaturized" said Detmar. "If anyone could find a way to make the follicles bigger, men might grow hair again." The key, he and colleagues report in the Feb. 19 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, might be a protein called VEGF now used experimentally to help people grow their own heart bypasses.
VEGF, or vascular endothelial growth factor, helps the body grow blood vessels. It can help heart disease patients and is one of the proteins blocked in certain experimental anti-cancer therapies aimed at starving out tumors. The researchers are now working on a way to get VEGF into the scalp in a cream or ointment. "The question now is can we, by this method, improve hair growth in humans?" said Detmar. "Applying it to humans will be a big challenge."
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is a naturally produced chemical called a cytokine. Cytokines are a signalling mechanisms that cells use to communicate with each other. cells with approriate cytokine receptors react in specific ways when they receive a signal. As its name suggests, VEGF stimulates endothelial cells of blood vessels to proliferate and grow, a mechanism celled angiogenesis (angio=blood vessel, genesis=formation).
VEGF was originally identified in tumor biology. Tumors grow very large very rapidly and to do this they need a lot of nutrients. To ensure a good supply, tumor cells may produce VEGF to induce blood vessels in surrounding healthy tissue to grow into the tumor. VEGF production and increased angiogenesis can also bee seen in wound healing and in some diseases such as psoriasis. However, VEGF is also produced by normal, healthy cells in various organs to maintain a good blood supply.
VEGF as a stimulator of hair growth is not a new idea. Several studies looking at product expression have demonstrated VEGF production in various hair follicle compartments. Hair folicles have a cycle of growth, called anagen and rest, telogen. When hair follicles are resting they are relatively small an inactive, but when they enter a growth phase they become much larger and the cells of growing hair follicles are the fastest proliferating non-tumor cells in the body. To enable this increased cellular activity, a good nutrient supply is required and it has been shown that as hair follicles leave telogen and enter anagen, angiogenesis is stimulated. An intricate network of blood vessels forms and surrounds hair follicles as they enter anagen.
This study is a significant step in our understanding of hair cycle control and is the first to perform functional assays on hair follicle growth under the influence of VEGF. The scientists were previously involved with examining VEGF and angiogenesis in skin tumors and other inflammatory skin diseases. For their studies, they produced a genetically mutated (transgenic) mouse that consistently over expresses VEGF in the skin. In their previous studies they noted that the skin developed a very extensive system of blood vessels and they hypothesised that this might affect hair follicle activity.
This study examined tissues from the transgenic high VEGF expressing mice for the extent of angiogenesis around hair follicles, measured the size of the hair follicles, and compared these statistics with those from normal mice. In addition, the researchers injected an antibody that blocks VEGF activity into normal mice and also exposed cultured hair follicle cells to VEGF. They found that the transgenic mice had significantly larger anagen hair follicles in association with VEGF production and angiogenesis as compared to normal mice. Blocking VEGF activity resulted in a delay of hair follicles switching from telogen to anagen and much smaller anagen hair follicles developed. Their culture studies showed that VEGF had no direct stimulatory effect on hair follicle growth. That is, it was the formation of blood vessels that allowed increased hair follicle activity in the mutated mice and not any direct effect on the hair follicle cells by the VEGF signal. The study concludes that VEGF has an important role in controling hair biology and that hair follicle size is partly dependant on VEGF induced angiogenesis.
Previously it has been suggested that impaired angiogenesis may play a role in androgenetic alopecia. However, while VEGF seems to have a significant indirect effect on hair follicles, it does not act in isolation. Many cytokines and other factors can stimulate or inhibit hair follicle activity. Whether hair follicle growth could be stimulated by injecting VEGF or the DNA coding for VEGF into skin remains to be seen. There are potential side effect risks as the angiogenesis would not be restricted to the hair follicles. There will also be other limiting factors involved including the natural production in normal skin of angiogenesis inhibiting factors. The maximum possible size of a hair follicle is probably limited by the size of the dermal papilla and an upper limit to the level of activity by these cells. Most likely then, gene therapy for hair loss could involve VEGF, but in itself this may not be enough. A cocktail of DNA coding for several genes is probably required.
Abonați-vă la:
Postări (Atom)