Effects of TAT-vimentin on the hair growth and dermal papilla cell proliferation

Abstract

Alopecia (Hair loss) is known for triggered by androgens in heritably of irritable and various causes. Also incidence is commonly appearing men as well as women. Alopecia is to be the shrinkage of the hair follicle; Hair follicles are surrounded with a thin basal lamina composed of connective tissue, which gradually thickens during hair development over the lifetime of the hair follicle. These connective tissue sheaths have been studied in normal skin specimens from the scalp, including the membrane of human hair follicles during the hair cycle.

In this study, we suggest a TAT-vimentin fusion protein for treatment of hair loss and confirm the effect of hair follicles using dermal papilla cells (DPCs). Vimentin is intermediate filament proteins which are associated with hair growth and the formation of hair follicles. And DPCs are known for regulate hair-follicle formation and the hair growth cycle. In the present study, hair follicles formed using dermal papilla cells (DPCs) and a sufficiently large number of cells provided hair regeneration while retaining their inductive properties. TAT-vimentin treated DPCs showed an increased rate of proliferation. To investigate the underlying mechanism of action, TAT-vimentin was administered to C57BL6 mice by spraying and the effects on hair growth and cell proliferation within hair follicles were observed and compared with controls. Growth factors are known to be responsible for regeneration of hair and hair follicles by increasing the production of new hair follicles. We identified hair-regeneration mechanisms of TAT-vimentin both associated and not associated with growth factors. This study was conducted to determine TAT-vimentin protein was transduced into cells and its effects on different mechanisms of hair follicle regeneration.

These results suggest that TAT-vimentin protein shows potential as a therapeutic agent for alopecia.