Hair loss is a common disorder and can lead to psychological distress. Cyclosporine A, a fungal metabolite commonly used as an immunosuppressant, has a side effect of potently inducing hair growth in humans, but its toxicity precludes its use for the restoration of hair growth. Hawkshaw et al. used Cyclosporine A as a lead compound to identify novel therapeutic targets that can aid the development of new hair growth–promoting agents. They found that Cyclosporine A significantly reduced the level of the secreted Wnt inhibitor, SFRP1, inspiring them to assess whether WAY-316606, a well-tolerated antagonist of SFRP1, could prolong the growth phase of the hair cycle. They show that WAY-316606 enhances human hair growth ex vivo, suggesting that it has the potential to treat human hair loss disorders. The image shows immunofluorescence of β-catenin protein (red) and cell nuclei (blue) in the human hair follicle bulb, the command center for maintaining hair growth.
Image Credit: Nathan Hawkshaw
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