Mehta Apoorva, Motavaf Mateen, Raza Danyal, McLure Alison J, Osei-Opare Kofi D, Bordone Lindsey A, Gru Alejandro A
Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
Cells. 2025 May 26;14(11):779. doi: 10.3390/cells14110779.
With alopecia affecting millions globally, recent advancements in the understanding of hair follicle biology have driven the development of novel therapies focused on hair regrowth. This review discusses two emerging therapeutic strategies: hair follicle neogenesis and the modulation of the Wnt/B-catenin signaling pathway. Hair follicle neogenesis, a frontier once considered impossible to achieve in adult humans, has recently gained traction due to advancements in stem cell biology and further understanding of the epithelial-mesenchymal interactions that are critical to hair follicle development. Such an approach shows significant potential for addressing conditions leading to hair loss, such as androgenetic and scarring alopecias. The Wnt/B-catenin signaling pathway, a critical intracellular pathway responsible for hair follicle cycles, has gained traction as a target for therapeutic interventions. Studies show that stimulating this pathway leads to hair follicle growth, while its inhibition prompts hair follicle regression. Investigations demonstrate clinical efficacy of small molecule inhibitors and peptides, such as PTD-DBM, which activates the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by interfering with CXXC5, a negative regulator that inhibits pathway activation. Such therapies show potential as more effective treatment options than existing solutions such as finasteride and minoxidil. Adjunctive therapies, such as low-level laser therapy, have also shown clinical efficacy, further highlighting how modulation of this pathway stimulates follicular regrowth. While these novel therapies require further research to validate their efficacy and to gain additional insight into their risk profile, it is clear that alopecia treatment is approaching a new frontier beyond traditional pharmacologic interviews, with regenerative medicine and pathway modulation paving the way forward.
全球有数百万人受脱发影响,近年来在毛囊生物学认识上的进展推动了专注于毛发再生的新型疗法的发展。本综述讨论了两种新兴治疗策略:毛囊新生和Wnt/β-连环蛋白信号通路的调控。毛囊新生这一曾经被认为在成年人体内无法实现的前沿领域,由于干细胞生物学的进展以及对毛囊发育至关重要的上皮-间充质相互作用的进一步了解,最近受到了关注。这种方法在解决导致脱发的病症方面显示出巨大潜力,如雄激素性脱发和瘢痕性脱发。Wnt/β-连环蛋白信号通路是负责毛囊周期的关键细胞内通路,作为治疗干预的靶点已受到关注。研究表明,刺激该通路会导致毛囊生长,而抑制它会促使毛囊退化。调查证明了小分子抑制剂和肽(如PTD-DBM)的临床疗效,PTD-DBM通过干扰抑制通路激活的负调节因子CXXC5来激活Wnt/β-连环蛋白通路。与非那雄胺和米诺地尔等现有解决方案相比,此类疗法显示出作为更有效治疗选择的潜力。辅助疗法,如低能量激光疗法,也已显示出临床疗效,进一步突出了对该通路的调控如何刺激毛囊再生。虽然这些新型疗法需要进一步研究以验证其疗效并更深入了解其风险状况,但很明显,脱发治疗正在超越传统药物治疗,走向一个新的前沿领域,再生医学和通路调控为其铺平了道路。