Tetrahydroxystilbene Glucoside Effectively Prevents Apoptosis Induced Hair Loss

Controlling Hair Loss by Regulating Apoptosis in Hair Follicles: A Comprehensive Overview

Apoptosis is a physiological process that occurs in all cell types of the human body, and it profoundly changes the fate of hair by affecting hair follicle cells. This review outlines the cellular changes, intrinsic biochemical characteristics, and mechanisms underlying apoptosis and summarizes the hair follicle life cycle, including development, cycle stages, and corresponding cellular changes. Finally, the relationship between apoptosis and the hair cycle is discussed and the significance of apoptosis in hair loss conditions and drug treatments is highlighted. Apoptosis induces cellular changes and exhibits distinctive properties through intricate signaling pathways. Hair follicles undergo cyclic periods of growth, regression, and dormancy. Apoptosis is closely correlated with the regression phase by triggering hair follicle cell death and shedding. Regulation of apoptosis in hair follicles plays an essential role in hair loss due to maladies and drug treatments. Mitigating apoptosis can enhance hair growth and minimize hair loss. A comprehensive understanding of the correlation between apoptosis and the hair cycle can facilitate the development of novel treatments to prevent hair loss and stimulate hair regeneration.

Connarus semidecandrus Jack Exerts Anti-Alopecia Effects by Targeting 5α-Reductase Activity and an Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

There is a growing demand for hair loss treatments with minimal side effects and recurrence potential. Connarus semidecandrus Jack has been used as a folk medicine for fever in tropical regions, but its anti-alopecia effects remain unclear. In this study, the anti-androgenic alopecia effect of an ethanol extract of Connarus semidecandrus Jack (Cs-EE) was demonstrated in a testosterone-induced androgenic alopecia (AGA) model, in terms of the hair–skin ratio, hair type frequency, and hair thickness. The area of restored hair growth and thickened hair population after Cs-EE treatment showed the hair-growth-promoting effect of Cs-EE. Histological data support the possibility that Cs-EE could reduce hair loss and upregulate hair proliferation in mouse skin by shifting hair follicles from the catagen phase to the anagen phase. Western blotting indicated that Cs-EE reduced the expression of the androgenic receptor. Cs-EE treatment also inhibited programmed cell death by upregulating Bcl-2 expression at the mRNA and protein levels. The anti-alopecia effect of Cs-EE was confirmed by in vitro experiments showing that Cs-EE had suppressive effects on 5-α reductase activity and lymph node carcinoma of the prostate proliferation, and a proliferative effect on human hair-follicle dermal papilla (HDP) cells. Apoptotic pathways in HDP cells were downregulated by Cs-EE treatment. Thus, Cs-EE could be a potential treatment for AGA.

A Review of Pharmacology, Toxicity and Pharmacokinetics of 2,3,5,4'-Tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-Glucoside

Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. (He-shou-wu in Chinese), a Chinese botanical drug with a long history, is widely used to treat a variety of chronic diseases in clinic, and has been given the reputation of “rejuvenating and prolonging life” in many places. 2,3,4′,5-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside (TSG, C₂₀H₂₂O₉) is the main and unique active ingredient isolated from Polygonum multiflorum Thunb., which has extensive pharmacological activities. Modern pharmacological studies have confirmed that TSG exhibits significant activities in treating various diseases, including inflammatory diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, hepatic steatosis, osteoporosis, depression and diabetic nephropathy. Therefore, this review comprehensively summarizes the pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties of TSG up to 2021 by searching the databases of Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect and CNKI. According to the data, TSG shows remarkable anti-inflammation, antioxidation, neuroprotection, cardiovascular protection, hepatoprotection, anti-osteoporosis, enhancement of memory and anti-aging activities through regulating multiple molecular mechanisms, such as NF-κB, AMPK, PI3K-AKT, JNK, ROS-NO, Bcl-2/Bax/Caspase-3, ERK1/2, TGF-β/Smad, Nrf2, eNOS/NO and SIRT1. In addition, the toxicity and pharmacokinetics of TSG are also discussed in this review, which provided direction and basis for the further development and clinical application of TSG.

MEF/KSF-conditioned culture medium: An effective method for in vitro culture of mouse dermal papilla cells with osteogenic differentiation potential

Hair follicle stem cells are pluripotent and have a self-renewal capacity and multi-differentiation potential in vitro. As hair follicle stem cells can be easily sampled from the skin and hair of clinical patients at a considerable quantity, these cells have potential applications in wound repair and skin tissue engineering. Effective approaches for the in vitro culture and amplification of mouse hair follicle stem cells, as well as the in vitro osteogenic differentiation potential and cell source when obtaining mouse-separated cells were examined. Serial subculture was performed in different culture systems. Cell source was detected based on the relevant surface markers derived from mouse hair follicles at the gene and protein levels, and the differential potential was determined. The proliferative ability of hair follicle-derived stem cells obtained from mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF)/keratinocyte serum-free medium (KSF)-conditioned medium was the highest among all culture systems. The induced group had a stronger osteogenic differentiation potential compared with the non-induced group, indicating that the cells obtained from MEF/KSF-conditioned medium were cells derived from the hair follicle dermal papilla. Therefore, the strong osteogenic differentiation potential of the hair follicle-derived mesenchymal stem cells was screened with MEF/KSF-conditioned culture medium following amplification, and biological characteristics similar to those of hair follicle dermal papilla cells were observed.

Polygonum multiflorum extract support hair growth by elongating anagen phase and abrogating the effect of androgen in cultured human dermal papilla cells

Background

Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) play a key role in hair growth among the various cell types in hair follicles. Especially, DPCs determine the fate of hair follicle such as anagen to telogen transition and play a pivotal role in androgenic alopecia (AGA). This study was performed to elucidate the hair growth promoting effects of Polygonum multiflorum extract (PM extract) in cultured human DPCs and its underlying mechanisms.

Methods

The effects of PM extract on cultured DPCs were investigated. Cell viability and mitochondrial activity were measured by CCK-8 and JC-1 analysis, respectively. Western blotting, dot blotting, ELISA analysis, immunocytochemistry and real-time PCR analysis were also performed to elucidate the changes in protein and mRNA levels induced by PM extract. 3D cultured DPC spheroids were constructed for mimicking the in vivo DPs. The hair growth stimulatory effect of PM extract was evaluated using human hair follicle organ culture model.

Results

PM extract increased the viability and mitochondrial activity in cultured human DPCs in a dose dependent manner. The expression of Bcl2, an anti-apoptotic protein expressed dominantly in anagen was significantly increased and that of BAD, a pro-apoptotic protein expressed in early catagen was decreased by PM extract in cultured DPCs and/or 3D DPC spheroid culture. PM extract also decreased the expression of catagen inducing protein, Dkk-1. Growth factors including IGFBP2, PDGF and VEGF were increased by PM extract, revealed by dot blot protein analysis. We also have found that PM extract could reverse the androgenic effects of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the most potent androgen. Finally, PM extract prolonged the anagen of human hair follicles by inhibiting catagen entry in human hair follicle organ culture model.

Conclusion

Our data strongly suggest that PM extract could promote hair growth by elongating the anagen and/or delaying the catagen induction of hair follicles through activation of DPCs.

A Serum Metabolomic Study on Rats Induced by Polygoni Multiflori Radix and Polygoni Multiflori Radix Preparata by Pattern Recognition and Pathways Analysis

This study focused on the differential metabolomic effects between water extracts of Polygoni Multiflori Radix and Polygoni Multiflori Radix Preparata in rats. The extracts were subsequently administered for 28 d. Serum biochemical indicators were tested, hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry staining were used to detect histopathological changes in the livers. Ultra-performance LC/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to detect the changes in endogenous metabolites. Finally, we performed detailed analysis of the changes in metabolic pathways. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry staining results indicated that the water extracts of Polygoni Multiflori Radix and Polygoni Multiflori Radix Preparata had mild liver injury effect. Fifty-two differential endogenous biomarkers were confirmed as potential biomarkers between Polygoni Multiflori Radix and Polygoni Multiflori Radix Preparata groups. In the positive ion mode, the biomarkers included 31 Phosphatidyl cholines (PCs), six lysoPCs, and ceramide. In the negative ion mode, 12 biomarkers were confirmed, including glycodeoxycholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid, and deoxycholic acid, etc. In Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography (HILIC) mode, nine biomarkers were confirmed, including niacinamide, L-palmitoylcarnitine, and butyrylcarnitine, etc. Using MetaboAnalyst 4.0, six related metabolic pathways, including taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, and tryptophan metabolism and primary bile synthesis, were confirmed as the most differential pathways between the Polygoni Multiflori Radix and Polygoni Multiflori Radix Preparata groups.

Protective Effects of 2,3,5,4'-Tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-d-glucoside on Ovariectomy Induced Osteoporosis Mouse Model

2,3,5,4'-Tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-d-glucoside (TSG), an active polyphenolic component of Polygonum multiflorum, exhibits many pharmacological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammation, and anti-aging effects. A previous study demonstrated that TSG protected MC3T3-E1 cells from hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) induced cell damage and the inhibition of osteoblastic differentiation. However, no studies have investigated the prevention of ovariectomy-induced bone loss in mice. Therefore, we investigated the effects of TSG on bone loss in ovariectomized mice (OVX). Treatment with TSG (1 and 3 μg/g; i.p.) for six weeks positively affected body weight, uterine weight, organ weight, bone length, and weight change because of estrogen deficiency. The levels of the serum biochemical markers of calcium (Ca), inorganic phosphorus (IP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total cholesterol (TCHO) decreased in the TSG-treated mice when compared with the OVX mice. Additionally, the serum bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) levels in the TSG-treated OVX mice were significantly increased compared with the OVX mice, while the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity was significantly reduced. Furthermore, the OVX mice treated with TSG showed a significantly reduced bone loss compared to the untreated OVX mice upon micro-computed tomography (CT) analysis. Consequently, bone destruction in osteoporotic mice as a result of ovariectomy was inhibited by the administration of TSG. These findings indicate that TSG effectively prevents bone loss in OVX mice; therefore, it can be considered as a potential therapeutic for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.