By now most of us may be aware that baldness could have a suitable treatment. Now, scientists from the Yale University have apparently uncovered the origin of signs that accelerate growth of hair. This knowledge may help in developing treatments for baldness.
As a part of the research, the analysts spotted stem cells inside the skin’s fatty layer and showed that molecular signals sent by these cells is seemingly crucial to trigger hair growth in mice.
“If we can get these fat cells in the skin to talk to the dormant stem cells at the base of hair follicles, we might be able to get hair to grow again,” specified Valerie Horsley, assistant professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology and senior author of the paper.
Men exhibiting male pattern baldness seem to have stem cells in follicle roots. However, they do not supposedly have the capacity for hair regeneration. Professionals believe that these follicle stem cells may require signals from the skin internally whose source is yet not clear. The team found that as hair dies, the level of fat in the scalp which contains the skin’s fullness presumably contracts. Furthermore, in a process called adipogenesis, the layer of fat tends to become expansive when hair growth begins. The investigators found that a particular type of stem cell responsible for the production of adipose precursor cells is apparently needed for restoration of hair in mice. It also came to light that these cells produce molecules known as platelet derived growth factors (PDGF) that are essential to create hair growth.
Presently, the team is trying to locate other signals generated by adipose precursor stem cells which may help in modulating hair growth. They also plan to gauge if hair growth necessitates these signals itself. The findings are published in the journal Cell.