13 % of French people declare to suffer from baldness, according to a Ifop survey. At any age, this phenomenon affects men more (25% before 65 years old and 31% after) than women (2% then 3% after 65 years old). The main cause is androgenetic alopecia, i.e. the stiffening of hair stem cells as they age. This rigidity results in the cessation of the cell cycle and the production of new hair.
Baldness: a problem of cellular rigidity
In a new study published in the journal PNAS, researchers have managed to soften hair stem cells by using a microRNA. It is a small RNA molecule, called miR-205, which stops the production of the proteins responsible for cellular rigidity. The proteins responsible for the rigidity of hair stem cells are called “actin” fibers. During their experiments on mice, scientists stopped the expression of the genes needed to produce actin fibers. Consequently, they produced more miR-205. Results: this promoted hair growth in both young and old mice.
Stimulating hair growth from existing stem cells
“The stem cells started to produce new hair after ten days of treatment, explains Rui Yi, one of the authors, in a press release. We did not create new stem cells. We stimulated the existing stem cells to grow hair. Often, we still have stem cells, but they may not be capable of generating hair.”
For now, this solution is in the clinical trial stage, but scientists plan to continue their work. “Since there is the possibility of injecting these microRNAs directly into the skin, the next step will be to test if localized treatment can stimulate hair production,” concludes Rui Yi.
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