Overexpression of Nanog in amniotic fluid–derived mesenchymal stem cells accelerates dermal papilla cell activity and promotes hair follicle regeneration

Abstract

Alopecia: Stimulating hair growth via stem cell-based therapy A treatment developed using stem cells that express high levels of a hair-growth-stimulating protein could help treat alopecia. Cells at the base of hair follicles secrete signaling molecules that help maintain follicle stem cell populations and stimulate hair growth, but defects in these signaling pathways can trigger alopecia. Potential treatments created using stem cells derived from amniotic fluid are being explored by Gwonhwa Song, In Yong Kim and Seungkwon You at the College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Seoul, South Korea. They have demonstrated that a protein called Nanog found in amniotic fluid-derived stem cell populations can help maintain stem cell health and stimulate secretion of hair growth proteins. These findings led them to develop a topical treatment with medicines derived from stem cells overexpressing Nanog, which triggered dermal cell proliferation and hair regrowth in mice.