TORONTO – For many men, losing their hair is an aesthetic and financial inconvenience. But American scientists say they’ve identified the protein that is said to cause balding – a discovery that could offer treatment to the millions of follicley-challenged men worldwide.
The findings were published in the journal, Science Translational Medicine. Led by Dr. George Cotsarelis, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found that a protein called prostaglandin D2 appeared in abnormal amounts in the bald scalp of men with male pattern baldness. The protein was stopping the growth of hair instead of increasing it. It was also causing the hair follicles to shrink and to produce tiny, thin hairs, which grew shorter and less visible with time.
Get daily National news
Prostaglandins is known for controlling cell growth, and constricting and dilating smooth muscle tissue.
“Although a different prostaglandin was known to increase hair growth, our findings were unexpected, as prostaglandins haven’t been thought about in relation to hair loss,” said Cotsarelis.
With eight out of 10 men under 70 years old experiencing male-pattern baldness during their lifetime, this discovery offers insight into the science of balding, as well as hopes for a future cure.
“Drug companies are very good at identifying drugs that inhibit receptors or activate receptors so there are compounds available that already target this pathway,” said Cotsarelis. “The nice thing about dermatology and hair loss in general is that you can take compounds that were maybe being used as a pill and then put them in a topical formulation and when you apply those to the scalp then you would inactivate that receptor and allow the hair to grow.”
That means that there is potential for treatments that include ointments, or other treatments that can be applied directly to your scalp in hopes of hair regrowth.
With files from Postmedia News
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.