Scalp hair plays a crucial role in social communication by expressing personal appearance and self-identity. Consequently, hair loss often leads to a perception of unattractiveness, negatively impacting an individual’s life and mental health. Currently, the use of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs for hair loss is associated with several side effects, highlighting the need for identifying new drug candidates, such as plant-derived phytochemicals, to overcome these issues.
This study investigated the hair growth-promoting effects of araliadiol, a polyacetylene compound found in plants such as
We employed an
Araliadiol exhibited both proliferation- and hair growth-promoting effects in HHFSCs and HDPCs. Specifically, it increased the protein expression of cyclin B1 and Ki67. In HHFSCs, it elevated the expression of hair growth-promoting factors, including CD34, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and angiopoietin-like 4. Similarly, araliadiol increased the expression of hair growth-inductive proteins such as fibroblast growth factor 7, VEGF, noggin, and insulin-like growth factor 1 in HDPCs. Subsequent Western blot analysis and ELISA using inhibitors such as GW9662 and SB202190 confirmed that these hair growth-promoting effects were dependent on the p38/PPAR-γ signaling in both HHFSCs and HDPCs.
Araliadiol promotes hair growth through the p38/PPAR-γ signaling pathway in human hair follicle cells. Therefore, araliadiol can be considered a novel drug candidate for the treatment of alopecia.