Undariopsis peterseniana Promotes Hair Growth by the Activation of Wnt/β-Catenin and ERK Pathways.

In this study, we investigated the effect and mechanism of , an edible brown alga, on hair growth. The treatment of vibrissa follicles with extract ex vivo for 21 days significantly increased the hair-fiber lengths. The extract also significantly accelerated anagen initiation in vivo. Moreover, we found that extract was able to open the K channel, which may contribute to increased hair growth. The extract decreased 5α-reductase activity and markedly increased the proliferation of dermal papilla cells, a central regulator of the hair cycle. The extract increased the levels of cell cycle proteins, such as Cyclin D1, phospho(ser780)-pRB, Cyclin E, phospho-CDK2, and CDK2. The extract also increased the phosphorylation of ERK and the levels of Wnt/β-catenin signaling proteins such as glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) and β-catenin. These results suggested that the extract had the potential to influence hair growth by dermal papilla cells proliferation through the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin and ERK pathways. We isolated a principal of the extract, which was subsequently identified as apo-9'-fucoxanthinone, a trichogenic compound. The results suggested that extract may have a pivotal role in the treatment of alopecia.