A natural sugar gel restores hair better than prescription remedies and could be a cure for baldness.
Researchers from Pakistan and the United Kingdom determined that after applying a gel made of deoxyribose (a sugar in the body that helps form DNA) to mice with bald patches, their fur grew back faster than in untreated mice.
Deoxyribose is a fundamental component and forms the sugar “backbone” of DNA. When used as a gel applied to hair, the substance increases blood supply to hair follicles, stimulating growth.
While the compound has only been tested in mice so far, its success in the trial suggests that human subjects could be next, potentially opening the door to another effective anti-hair loss product on the market.
And using a manufactured version of the sugar that occurs naturally in the body could potentially avoid the possible side effects of using a topical product like Propecia (Finasteride) or Rogaine (Minoxidil), which can cause erectile dysfunction, hormonal changes, rash , and scalp irritation.
In mice treated with the gel, which was deoxyribose mixed with other substances that deliver the active ingredient to the targeted area, the researchers said there were no reports of inflammation or irritation. They also showed denser, longer hairs without any evidence of unusual tissue damage around the area.
The treated mice’s follicles also extended deeper into the skin, indicating healthier, more active hair follicles.
Dr Sheila MacNeil, co-author and tissue engineering expert at the University of Sheffield, said: “Our research suggests the answer to treating hair loss could be as simple as using a natural sugar deoxyribose to increase blood supply. to the hair”. follicles to stimulate hair growth.
The figure shows a comparison of how different treatments affected the back hair of mice over three weeks. NC is normal control, that is, without treatment. The T-1 group was treated with testosterone, which is associated with androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Group T-2 was treated with a control gel without the experimental treatment. T-3 was treated with the experimental substance derived from natural sugar. T-4 was treated with minoxidil. T-5 was treated with a combination of the experimental treatment with sugar and minoxidil.
The graph shows visual evidence of hair growth, allowing you to see differences in hair length between treatment groups.
Hereditary pattern baldness, the most common type of hair loss in men and women worldwide, is caused by a combination of genetics, hormone levels, and aging.
It is also called androgenic alopecia, which highlights the important role that hormonal changes play in hair growth as people age.
An estimated 80 million Americans suffer from pattern baldness.
Caused by a sensitivity to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), hair follicles shrink and eventually stop producing new hair.
The natural sugar tested in the study showed potential to reduce DHT levels, which may help prevent miniaturization of hair follicles and promote healthier hair growth.
The researchers applied the gel to mice to test its effectiveness. Two of them had been treated with testosterone to induce a condition similar to androgenic alopecia and had bald spots on their backs.
The control group did not undergo hair loss treatments, but had their fur shaved to create a standardized starting point.
Mice were treated with the experimental hydrogel, a placebo hydrogel, or minoxidil, a common prescription treatment. taken by thousands of people.
By day 14, the group treated with the experimental hydrogel showed significantly better hair growth than the other groups. By day 21, the hydrogel-treated group had between 60 and 70 percent of their skin covered in hair, while the other groups had much less growth.
They also measured hair thickness. The group treated with the experimental substance showed thicker hair than the group treated with minoxidil. Both groups also had higher hair density than the control group.
This analysis measures how long hair grew in skin samples from different treatment groups, including the one treated with the experimental gel (T-3). There was a big difference in hair growth between the NC group and the T-1 and T-2. There were no notable differences between the NC group and T-3 (the group treated with the experimental gel) or other treatment groups.
The graphic shows microscopic images of hair shafts from different treatment groups, highlighting the structure and appearance of the hair on a more detailed level.
The study also counted the number of blood vessels in the skin to understand how the treatments affected blood flow, which is important for hair growth.
They found that treatment with the experimental gel (T-3) appeared to increase the number of blood vessels in the skin, which could help improve the speed at which hair grows back, its length, and its thickness.
This is important because the blood vessels nourish the hair follicles and promote hair growth. In contrast, the untreated group had fewer blood vessels, which could slow hair growth.
The researchers said: “The better the blood supply to the hair bulb, the larger its diameter and the greater the hair growth.”
Researchers also suggested that this treatment could help people who lose hair due to chemotherapy, as it stimulates the growth of blood vessels around the follicles and could potentially stimulate hair growth.
The idea is that by improving blood supply to hair follicles, it could help people regrow hair after chemotherapy-induced hair loss, which can cause emotional distress for patients.
Their results were published in the journal. Frontiers in pharmacology.
Hair loss usually begins between the ages of 20 and 30, although the changes are more noticeable in menopausal women.
Minoxidil and finasteride are the standard treatments for baldness, but results vary and can be unpredictable from person to person. They could also take up to six months to noticeably work, while the mice’s hair grew back within a month.
This is an “under-researched area,” the researchers said.
But Dr. McNeil added: “But the results are promising and warrant further investigation.”