Frontiers: Natural sugar 2-deoxy-D-ribose promotes hair growth

Scientists from the University of Sheffield and COMSATS University in Pakistan have found that a naturally occurring sugar in the body called 2-deoxy-D-ribose (2dDR) can stimulate hair growth. The respective research was published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.

In experiments on laboratory mice, this sugar was found to be as effective as the commercial hair regrowth drug minoxidil (Rogaine) in regenerating hair in balding rodents.

The researchers didn't set out to cure baldness at first, but rather sought to see if 2dDR sugar could help speed up wound healing. After applying 2dDR in the form of a gel to the skin of the animals, the scientists noted that hair growth accelerated in the treated areas, and the density and thickness of the hair increased considerably. This beneficial effect was found to be due to 2dDR's ability to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels that feed the hair follicles.

Further studies have shown that after 20 days of using a gel based on sugar and minoxidil, the hair of mice with male pattern baldness was restored by 80-90%.

The scientists noted that 2-deoxy-D-ribose-based agents may be introduced into clinical practice for the treatment of alopecia in the future.

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