Baldness cure could be found in an osteoporosis drug

May 9, 2018  17:40

Baldness can be an unwanted and stressful change for both men and women, especially as options for treatment have been limited. But a new agent may have the potential to reverse hair loss, according to researchers from the Centre for Dermatology Research at the University of Manchester, England.

The study was published in the open access journal PLOS Biology on May 8.

Dr. Nathan Hawkshaw led the new Ph.D. project to develop new ways to safely but effectively treat androgenetic alopecia, which refers to male or female pattern baldness. While men tend to experience a receding hairline and patchy loss of hair at the back of their head, women can notice significant thinning of their hair.

First, the research team decided to examine how an old immunosuppressive drug worked. The drug, known as Cyclosporine A (CsA), has been in medical use since 1983 in the form of eye drops, to prevent rejection of organ transplants, treating of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, etc. The drug has also been linked to a number of side effects such as headaches, vomiting, high blood pressure, and most interestingly, increased hair growth.

Using human hair follicles donated by hair transplant patients, Dr. Hawkshaw and his team conducted a full gene expression analysis of the follicles when they were treated with CsA. It was found that the drug reduced the expression of a protein (SFRP1) which hindered the growth of tissues, including the hair follicles.

The study found that the drug removed an inbuilt mechanism which would induce a brake on human hair growth.

"When the hair growth-promoting effects of CsA were previously studied in mice, a very different molecular mechanism of action was suggested," Dr. Hawkshaw explained. "Had we relied on these mouse research concepts, we would have been barking up the wrong tree."

Furthermore, the researcher found that WAY-316606, the original compound developed for treating osteoporosis, also appeared to target SFRP1. When WAY-316606 is applied to the balding human scalp, Dr. Hawkshaw said, it may promote hair growth to a similar magnitude as CsA but without any of the side effects.

"The fact this new agent, which had never even been considered in a hair loss context, promotes human hair growth is exciting because of its translational potential: it could one day make a real difference to people who suffer from hair loss."

For the experiments, scalp hair follicles from over 40 patients were obtained through the means of a collaboration with British hair transplant surgeon Dr. Asim Shahmalak from Crown Clinic, U.K.

The researchers stated that a clinical trial was the next necessary step to assess whether the drug could be safe and effective to use on hair loss patients. As of now, the most effective treatment for balding is opting for a hair transplantation surgery. Only two drugs (minoxidil and finasteride) were approved by the FDA for the treatment of balding, both of which have shown limited results.

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