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The dermal papilla, a mesenchymal derived fibroblast, is thought to be the main regulator of the hair cycle, which, similar to hair follicles stem cells, is always present, unlike the matrix cells surrounding dermal papilla. Interactions between adjacent cells in the hair follicles (dermal papilla cells (DPC), dermal sheath cells, stem cells, and hair germ cells) during changes of the hair cycle regulate hair growth or hair loss. Therefore, controlling the hair cycle through maintaining anagen or shortening catagen and telogen and promoting the progression to anagen in hair growth is considered important. Human hair undergoes the hair cycle of growth phase (anagen), regression phase (catagen) and resting phase (telogen) for a lifetime. Thus, there is an increasing demand for drugs that have reduced side effects compared to those of existing drugs or for materials without side effects. However, the two drugs have problems such as a temporary effect or restrictions on use in women. Finasteride is known to be used not only in the treatment of prostatic hyperplasia but also in the improvement of androgenetic hair loss, which is the most prevalent cause for hair loss. Minoxidil, a ATP-sensitive potassium (K ATP) channel opener, was originally developed and used as a therapeutic agent for hypertension, but has also been reported to be useful for the treatment of hair loss. Hair transplantation and growth factor injection can be used to treat hair loss, but so far only two drugs (minoxidil and finasteride) have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment. Hair loss is caused by various factors, including stress hormones, chemotherapy and insufficient nutrition, and is a serious problem for modern people regarding appearance. These results show that FFO extract and DHA promote hair growth through the anagen-activating pathways in DPC. DHA not only increased DPC proliferation but also upregulated levels of cell cycle-associated proteins such as cyclin D1 and cdc2 p34. Since various prostaglandins are known to promote hair growth in humans and mice, we examined the effect of DHA, a main omega-3 fatty acid of FFO, on DPC proliferation.
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FFO extract induced nuclear translocation of β-catenin, a stimulator of anagen phase, through an increase of phospho-glycogen synthase kinase3β (GSK3β) level. FFO extract induced the progression of the cell cycle and the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38 and Akt. As expected, FFO extract significantly increased DPC proliferation. FFO extract increased the length of hair-fibers and enabled stimulated initiation into the anagen phase of the hair cycle. The hair growth effect of FFO extract was evaluated by the culture method of vibrissa follicles and in vivo dotmatrix planimetry method. Here, we show the effect and action mechanism of mackerel-derived fermented fish oil (FFO) extract and its component docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the control of hair growth. Hair growth is regulated by the interaction between dermal papilla cells (DPC) and other cells inside the hair follicle.
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