Cow placenta extract promotes murine hair growth through enhancing the insulin - like growth factor-1

Abstract

Background: Hair loss is seen as an irreversible process. Most research concentrates on how to elongate the anagen, reduce the negative factors of obstructing hair growth and improve the hair number and size.

Aim: In our experiment, we tried to prove that the cow placenta extract can promote hair growth by elongating hair shaft and increasing hair follicle number.

Materials and methods: Cow placenta extract (CPE), water and minoxidil applied separately on the back of depilated B57CL/6 mice for the case, negative and positive control respectively. We checked the proliferation of cells which are resident in hair sheath, and the expression of a few growth factors which stimulate hair growth.

Results: Result shows that placenta extract more efficiently accelerates cell division and growth factor expression, by raising the insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) mRNA and protein level to increase HF size and hair length.

Conclusions: The extract is not a purified product; so, it is less effective than minoxidil, which is approved by the US FDA for the treatment of male pattern baldness. If refinement is done, the placenta extract would be a good candidate medicine for hair loss.

Keywords: Cell proliferation; cow placenta extract; hair follicle; minoxidil.

Figure 1

Effect of different treatments on prompting hair growth. Minoxidil topical application has the best effect on hair growth (a) There are many negative effect growth factors in CPE; (b) group B has better influence on hair growth than water topical application (c) topical water application group had least growth of hairs, nine experimental animals.

Figure 2

Histologic slices of each treatment group; (a) Minoxidil topical application; (b) topical application of CPE; (c) water topical application group; bar = 50 µm

Figure 3

Average length of hair for each group. Each bar represents mean ± SE from nine animal experiments. *P < 0.05 vs. water topical application group

Figure 4

Average HF number per 780 µm length sample skin. This figure gives us the HF density. Each bar represents mean ± SE from nine animal experiments

Figure 5

Average HF diameter. Each bar represents mean ± SE from nine animal experiments. *P < 0.05 vs. water topical application group

Figure 6

IHC results shown for groups A, B and C. (a) is control group, it has light brown coloration in dermis; (b and c) are CPE and minoxidil treatment groups; they have deeper color than control. Lesser labeled cells are found in water topical treatment group; (d) and the CPE treatment group; (e) has more labeled cells than water application group, (f), minoxidil topical treatment group had more brown cells than other two groups. Scale bar = 50 µm

Figure 7

Calculation of the number of labeled cells in different treatment groups. Each bar represents mean ± SE from nine animal experiments. *P < 0.05 vs. water topical application group (control)

Figure 8

Effect of minoxidil and CPE on the mRNA level of IGF-1 in skin by PCR and western blot analysis; (a and b) Western blot analysis; (c and d) PCR; (a and c) are GAPDH; (b and d) are IGF. M means minoxidil treatment group, CP means CPE treatment group, CO means control group (mean ± SE, P < 0.05)