Will we soon be able to truly say goodbye to the phenomenon of baldness? It’s still early, but very encouraging news is beginning to arrive from the world of science.
There is a certain optimism, albeit modest, among scientists after the discovery of the famous molecule that promotes hair growth. A team of American researchers revealed that the cells of the dermal papilla are truly responsible for the growth of new hair.
What has been discovered recently?
To the dermal papilla cells can send signals that keep follicles inactive or trigger new hair growth. The researchers found that a molecule called Scube3produced naturally by the cells of the dermal papilla, is the vector that sends the signal to the hair stem cells so that it grows again.
Activating the SCUBE3 by dermal papilla cells is the true process of hair growth, both in mice and people. The study, carried out in rats and human cells, shows that the administration of this molecule would activate the multiplication of hair follicles and hair growth.
According to scientists, this discovery could lead to the development of therapeutic treatments against hair loss, especially if this is due to androgenetic alopecia, the main cause of baldness in men and women.
The dermal papilla is a skin structure that houses different types and is involved in the growth phases of the hair follicle, communicating with it through numerous molecular communication pathways.
Although it has long been known that the dermal papilla plays a fundamental role in controlling hair growth, the molecules involved in these mechanisms are still not well understood. More studies and evaluations are being carried out in this regard.
As normally happens when we talk about biological systems, These signals involve different proteins produced by the papilla’s fibroblasts and surrounding cellsactivating or stopping the growth and multiplication of hair follicle cells.
Promising results also in humans
Once the effects of Scube3 were tested in mice, the researchers wanted to test the first results in humans, performing microinjections of the protein into the skin of mice to which human scalp follicles had been transplanted.
The first results were extremely promising; in fact, administration of Scube3 was able to activate growth even in human hair follicles.
In the background, This experiment revealed that both Scube3 and derivative molecules could be a promising therapy for hair loss.
In fact, in androgenetic alopecia, the main cause of baldness in both men and women, the cells of the dermal papilla do not function correctly and all the molecules normally involved in the signaling pathways that activate the hair follicle decrease drastically.
Therefore, finding a system that can stimulate and restore these mechanisms seems to be the most promising way to combat hair loss. At the moment, There is a great need for medications capable of limiting or completely combating hair loss, both in women and men..
In this case, the first tests carried out revealed that the compounds that are normally produced by dermal papilla cells represent ideal candidates for new generation treatments.
