Hair Loss Treatment: Scientists Test Drug That Could Reverse Baldness By Blocking Enzymes

Scientists are testing drugs that could be used to treat hair loss after the medications successfully reversed baldness in mice.

In the mice experiments, scientists from The University of Columbia found that drugs that block the Janus kinase (JAK) family of enzymes promote "rapid and robust hair growth when applied to the skin".

The researchers tested two drugs known to inhibit JAK enzymes that have already been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration: Ruxolitinib, which is usually used to treat blood diseases, and Tofacitinib, which is usually used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Both drugs caused mice to regrow significant amounts of their hair within three weeks of treatment and "rapidly awakened resting follicles out of dormancy".

The researchers also tested the drugs on human hair follicles that had been developed in a lab, then skin grafted onto mice.

The drugs were shown to have a similar effect, with the human hair follicles growing in the same way the mice hair had.

"What we've found is promising, though we haven't yet shown it's a cure for pattern baldness," lead author Dr Angela M. Christiano commented.

"More work needs to be done to test if JAK inhibitors can induce hair growth in humans using formulations specially made for the scalp."

Mouse without treatment (left), mouse after receiving Tofacitinib (centre) and mouse after receiving Ruxolitinib (right)

All experiments with JAK inhibitors to date have been conducted with "average" mice and human hair follicles.

The scientists have yet to test whether the treatments will work on hair follicles that have been frozen in a resting state because of androgenetic alopecia (which causes male and female pattern baldness) or other forms of hair loss disorders.

Despite this, they are hopeful their findings could eventually lead to new treatments for such conditions.

"There aren't many compounds that can push hair follicles into their growth cycle so quickly," Dr Christiano said.

"Some topical agents induce tufts of hair here and there after a few weeks, but very few compounds have this potent an effect so quickly."

According to the NHS, male-pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss, affecting around half of all men by 50 years of age.

Although it is less common, women can be affected by female-pattern baldness.

There is currently no definitive cure for hair loss, although a range of treatments that may help are listed on the NHS website.

SEE ALSO:

Why We Need To Talk About Hair Loss In Women

Why Do Men Go Bald?

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Trichotillomania is an impulse control disorder. Although the underlying causes for this disorder are not concretely understood, its most obvious symptom is the urge to break or pull out one's own hair. Individuals that have trichotillomania cannot control these urges and often pull out entire patches of their hair -- often from the scalp or eyebrows. The disorder is fairly rare -- 4 percent of people in the U.S. are affected by it -- although men are less likely to experience these urges than women are.

Are you a hair dye junkie or someone who consistently flat irons? You could be damaging your hair with these hair care practices. Both excessive use of hair treatments (i.e. bleaching, perms, relaxers) and products (i.e. blow dryers, straighteners and curling irons) can make hair brittle. Luckily, these types of hair damage are not permanent -- change the bad-for-your-hair habit and your hair should restore itself!

Over time, men and women who consistently wear their hair in styles that pull at the scalp (i.e. tight braids, weaves, tight ponytails) may develop a condition termed "traction alopecia." According to Dr. Alexis, traction alopecia is a hair loss condition that is seen far more often in women than men. A couple of the experts we spoke to also said that in their practices they most often saw traction alopecia in African-American and Hispanic women -- although the condition spans all ethnic groups. Chris Rock's 2009 documentary film, "Good Hair," addressed some of these issues as they effect the African-American community. "Women put up with a lot of pain," Dr. Cotsarelis told The Huffington Post. "Pain to your scalp should be avoided." Sounds like a good rule of thumb to us!

Iron and protein deficiencies are two of the most common nutritional triggers for hair loss. If individuals have low levels of iron -- even if they are not anemic -- hair loss may occur. An article published in the May 2006 edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology concluded that hair loss treatment was made more effective when a patient's iron deficiency was treated. Dr. Cotsarelis says that he consistenly checks the iron levels of any patient that comes to him experiencing hair loss. However, the exact reason behind this correlation has not been proven. Protein deficiency is more straightforward. Hair growth requires protein, and when the body is not getting enough, it moves these protein supplies to other, more necessary functions. Once an individual's diet is adjusted hair growth usually returns to normal within a couple months. While not a deficiency, for those that have Celiac Disease or gluten-sensitivity, the introduction of the gluten protein into the system may also lead to hair thinning or loss. In this case, it is the immune system that attacks hair growth.

Although this trigger technically falls under nutritional deficiencies, we felt that it warranted specific attention. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, individuals who lose 15 or more pounds (even through healthy means) often experience some amount of hair loss. This type of hair loss usually self-corrects without any need for treatment. More concerning is hair loss as a result of an eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia. These eating disorders do not allow the body to receive the necessary vitamins, minerals and protein that it needs to function healthfully -- which in turn can shut down hair growth. "Anorexics can have very extreme hair loss," says Dr. Cotsarelis. "I had a patient in her 20s who was anorexic -- her hair was just coming out in gobs because of poor protein intake."

Hair loss is a common symptom of an imbalance in one's thyroid hormones. Both hypothryoidism (an underactive thyroid) or hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid) can lead to excessive hair shedding. Once the thyroid imbalance is treated, the hair generally regrows.

Doctors still are unsure what the scientific connection is between menopause and hair thinning -- but many women, in their perimenopausal years, experience some sort of generalized hair loss. Some combination of hormonal changes are likely at play. "We don't really understand exactly why, but it's pretty clear [that there is a connection]," says Dr. Cotsarelis. "[Many] women have very thick hair their whole life and then when they go through menopause, they [experience] thinning."

When we hear talk of "alopecia," most likely what is being referred to is alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease, which means that the body attacks itself. Alopecia areata is usually characterized by hair loss in round patches on the scalp or other parts of the body and affects men, women and children.

Telogen effluvium is defined by Dr. McMichael as "shedding due to physiologic stress." McMichael told The Huffington Post that a traumatic or particularly stressful event is a common reason that individuals experience this type of hair loss (even more so for women than men). The most common emotional causes of telogen effluvium are life-altering occurrences such as a death or going through a divorce. These events can cause hair to be forced into the resting state before they normally would be. According to Dr. Cotsarelis, this type of hair shedding often does not show up until two to four months after the trigger occurs.

Illness is another possible cause of telogen effluvium -- most often triggered by a high fever. The stress on the body that illness causes can become a disruption to the hair cycle. Once the illness is gone, the cycle gets itself back on track.

Many medications have hair loss listed as a possible side effect, although various types tend to affect each person differently. Medications that contain hormones -- such as the birth control pill are common hair loss culprits. According to Mayo Clinic, antidepressants, blood pressure medications and arthritis treatments are also frequent offenders.

Source: Hair Loss Treatment: Scientists Test Drug That Could Reverse Baldness By Blocking Enzymes