In a recent study, UCLA researchers found a new way to activate the stem cells in the hair follicle to make hair grow.
The study may lead to new drugs that could promote hair growth for people with baldness or alopecia.
Alopecia is hair loss associated with such factors as hormonal imbalance, stress, aging or chemotherapy treatment.
The research showed that JAK-Stat activation leads to the increased production of lactate and this, in turn, drives hair follicle stem cell activation and quicker hair growth.
The other drug, called UK5099, blocks pyruvate from entering the mitochondria, which forces the production of lactate in the hair follicle stem cells and accelerates hair growth in mice.
The experimental drugs described above were used in preclinical tests only and have not been tested in humans or approved by the Food and Drug Administration as safe and effective for use in humans.
