Assessment of the anti-hair loss potential of Camellia japonica fruit shell extract in vitro.

OBJECTIVE

Hair loss is caused by various factors. Impacts of these factors are often overlapped and intensified. Currently, mitigation of hair loss is being studied by proliferating dermal papilla cells (DPCs) and inhibiting deleterious factors such as dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and oxidative stress on hair growth. Camellia japonica (C. japonica) fruit shell is a discarded part. Its biological activity remains to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the capacity of C. japonica fruit shell extract (CJFSE) for hair loss mitigation.

METHODS

MTT assay, spheroid culture and quantitative RT-PCR were performed to observe the proliferative effect of CJFSE on hair follicle dermal papilla cells (HFDPCs). Effects of CJFSE on DHT-induced hair loss were confirmed by Dkk-1 ELISA, β-galactosidase (β-gal) and 5α-reductase activity assay. In addition, effects of CJFSE on oxidative stress were confirmed through DPPH and ROS production assays.

RESULTS

CJFSE increased the proliferation and spheroid size of HFDPCs. Expression levels of VEGF-A, Wnt-1, c-Myc and Cyclin D1 were upregulated by CJFSE. CJFSE also suppressed 5α-reductase activity and DHT-induced decrease in cell proliferation, Dkk-1 secretion and β-gal activity. Moreover, CJFSE showed DPPH scavenging activity and ameliorated hydrogen peroxide-induced ROS production and β-gal activity. Finally, gallic acid and protocatechuic acid were observed in CJFSE through HPLC analysis.

CONCLUSION

CJFSE has the potential to alleviate hair loss by promoting hair cell growth and suppressing effects of DHT and oxidative stress on hair.