The active ingredients stimulate the hair follicle cells by increasing synthesis of the DNA and RNA, as well as increasing the cellular and enzymatic functions of the cytoplasm.
The active ingredients include zinc sulfate, vitamin B6, ascorbic palmitate, folic acid, biotin, and grape seed extracts (procyanidin oligomers).
An article published in the British Journal of Dermatology demonstrated that zinc sulfate and vitamin B6 and azaleic acid show activity in human skin and hair.
British Journal of Dermatology, 1988 Nov, 119(5):627-32.
Stamatiadis, D; Bulteau-Portois, MC; Mowszowicz, I.
The effects of zinc sulfate and azelaic acid on 5 alpha-reductase activity in human skin were studied using an in vitro assay with 1,2[3H]-testosterone as substrate. When added at concentrations of 3 or 9 mmol/l, zinc was a potent inhibitor of 5-alpha-reductase activity. At high concentrations, zinc could completely inhibit the enzyme activity. Azelaic acid was also a potent inhibitor of 5 alpha-reductase; inhibition was detectable at concentrations as low as 0.2 mmol/l and was complete at 3 mmol/l. An additive effect of the two inhibitors was observed. Vitamin B6 potentiated the inhibitory effect of zinc, but not of azelaic acid, suggesting that two different mechanisms are involved. When the three substances were added together at very low concentrations which had shown to be ineffective alone, 90% inhibition of 5 alpha-reductase activity was obtained. If this inhibition is confirmed in vivo, zinc sulfate combined with azelaic acid could be an effective agent in the treatment of androgen related pathology of human skin.
“For hair and fingernail changes and treatment for alopecia.” (Archives of Internal Med and Vet Rec)
Vet Rec 1988 Nov 19;123(21):533-536
Bouvet A, Baird JD, Basrur PK
A three-week old male Charolais calf which had a history of progressive hair loss and clinical signs, including crusts and brown patches similar to those in folic acid deficiency syndrome in man, was subjected to folic acid therapy. Daily oral administration of folic acid (1 mg/kg/day) resulted in the gradual disappearance of the crusts and patches within two weeks and a steady growth of hair and recovery to a normal state within two months. Folic acid, which is required for cellular turnover in a variety of tissues and organs including the hair follicle, may serve as an effective therapeutic agent in some types of alopecia triggered by a deficiency of either folic acid or the co-enzymes involved in the synthetic pathway of DNA.
PMID: 3206804, UI: 89085562
Hair and fingernail changes in acquired and congenital pernicious anemia
Arch Intern Med 1985-3-1 145(3) 484-5
R. Carmel
Pigmentation changes limited to skin appendages accompanied pernicious anemia in four patients. Two Latin-American patients, one with congenital and one with acquired pernicious anemia, had reddish hair while they were cobalamin deficient. With treatment, the new hair growth assumed its normal premorbid dark brown color. Two black patients with pernicious anemia had blue fingernails. The new nail growth after treatment was of normal color. Pigmentation changes seem to be more frequent in nonwhite than in white patients with cobalamin deficiency and may have various expressions.
“Cellular proliferation and hair tip growth are under different forms of Redox Control.” (Proc Natl Acad Sc)
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Mar 18; 94(6): 2745-2750.
Sanchez-Fernandez R, Fricker M, Corben LB, White NS, Sheard N, Leaver CJ, Van Montagu M, Inze D, May MJ.
We provide evidence that the tripeptide thiol glutathione (GSH) participates in the regulation of cell division in the apical meristem of Arabidopsis roots. Exogenous application of micromolar concentrations of GSH raised the number of meristematic cells undergoing mitosis, while depletion of GSH had the opposite effect. A role for endogenous GSH in the control of cell proliferation is also provided by mapping of GSH levels in the root meristem using the GSH-specific dye monochlorobimane and confocal laser scanning microscopy. High levels of GSH were associated with the epidermal and cortical initials and markedly lower levels in the quiescent center. The mechanisms controlling cell division could also be triggered by other reducing agents: ascorbic acid and dithiothreitol. Our data also reveal significant plasticity in the relationship between the trichoblast cell length and the hair it subtends in response to alterations in intracellular redox homeostasis. While mechanisms that control trichoblast elongation are influenced by nonspecific redox couples, root hair tip growth has a more specific requirement for sulfhydryl groups. The responses we describe here may represent the extremes of redox control of root plasticity and would allow the root to maintain exploration of the soil under adverse conditions with minimal cell divisions and root hair production or capitalize on a favorable environment by production of numerous long hairs. Redox sensing of the environment and subsequent redox-dependent modulation of growth and development may be crucial components in the strategies plants have evolved for survival in a fluctuating environment.
“Supplemental biotin – incidence and severity of toe lesions and hair and skin characteristcs.” (J Animal Sc)
J Anim Sci, 60(1):154-62 1985 Jan
Bryant KL; Kornegay ET; Knight JW; Veit HP; Notter DR
The influence of supplementing 0 (NB) or 440 (SB) micrograms biotin/kg to corn- or wheat-based diets on toe lesions, hair characteristics and structural soundness in 116 crossbred female swine was studied from selection (100 kg) until completion of four parities. Gilts that had been previously fed corn-soybean meal diets with 0 or 220 micrograms supplemental biotin/kg diet during growth and development, remained on either the biotin unsupplemented or supplemented diet. Females were housed in buildings containing partially slatted and solid concrete floors. Toe, hair and soundness evaluations were made at a mean age of 240, 521, 732, 916 and 1,090 d. Type of grain fed did not influence (P greater than .10) any response criteria evaluated. Six types of toe lesions were observed across all dietary treatments and varied in severity from minor to very severe. The percentage of females with heel cracks, heel-horn junction cracks and side-wall horn cracks was reduced (P less than .01) when females were fed SB diets. Females fed SB diets had fewer (P less than .001) total lesions, heel cracks, heel-horn junction cracks, side-wall horn cracks and white-line horn cracks (P less than .03) compared with females consuming NB diets. In general, biotin supplementation was more effective in reducing the number and percentage of toe lesions in multiparous sows compared with gilts and primiparous sows. Biotin supplementation increased (P less than .001) the number of hairs/cm2 skin and improved (P less than .001) hair
Uncombable hair syndrome: observations on response to biotin and occurrence in siblings with ectodermal dysplasia.
J Am Acad Dermatol 1985 Jul;13(1):97-102
Shelley WB, Shelley ED.
Three children are reported with uncombable hair syndrome, consisting of slow-growing, straw-colored scalp hair that could not be combed flat. The hairs appeared normal on light microscopy but on scanning electron microscopy were triangular in cross section, with canal-like longitudinal depressions. Oral biotin, 0.3 mg three times a day, produced significant improvement after 4 months in one patient, with increased growth rate and with strength and combability of the hair, although the triangular shape remained. The other two patients were unique in having associated ectodermal dysplasia. Their hair slowly improved in appearance and combability over 5 years without biotin therapy.
“Procanidin oligomers selectively and intensively promote proliferation of mouse hair epithelial cells in vitro and activate hair follicle growth in vivo.” (J Invest Derm)
J Invest Dermatol 1999 Mar;112 (3):310-6
Takahashi T, Kamiya T, Hasegawa A, Yokoo Y
Tsukuba Research Laboratories, Kyowa Hakko Kogyo, Ibaraki, Japan.
We have previously reported that proanthocyanidins extracted from grape seeds possess growth-promoting activity toward murine hair epithelial cells in vitro and stimulate anagen induction in hair cycle progression in vivo. This report constitutes a comparison of the growth-promoting activity of procyanidin oligomers and the target cells of procyanidins in the skin. Results show that procyanidin dimer and trimer exhibit higher growth-promoting activity than the monomer. The maximum growth-promoting activity for hair epithelial cells with procyanidin B-2, an epicatechin dimer, reached about 300% (30 microM) relative to controls (= 100%) in a 5 d culture. Optimum concentration of procyanidin C-1, an epicatechin trimer, was lower than that of procyanidin B-2; the maximum growth-promoting activity of procyanidin C-1 was about 220% (3 microM). No other flavonoid compounds examined exhibit higher proliferative activities than the procyanidins. In skin constituent cells, only epithelial cells such as hair keratinocytes or epidermal keratinocytes respond to procyanidin oligomers. Topical application of 1% procyanidin oligomers on shaven C3H mice in the telogen phase led to significant hair regeneration [procyanidin B-2, 69.6% +/- 21.8% (mean +/- SD); procyanidin B-3, 80.9% +/- 13.0%; procyanidin C-1, 78.3% +/- 7.6%] on the basis of the shaven area; application of vehicle only led to regeneration of 41.7% (SD = 16.3%). In this paper, we demonstrate the hair-growing activity of procyanidin oligomers both in vitro and in vivo, and their potential for use as agents to induce hair growth.
PMID: 10084307, UI: 99181798
Procyanidin Oligomers selectively and intensively promote proliferation of mouse hair epithelial cells in vitro and activate hair follicle growth in vivo.
J Invest Dermatol 1999 Mar;112 (3):310-6
Takahashi T, Kamiya T, Hasegawa A, Yokoo Y
Tsukuba Research Laboratories, Kyowa Hakko Kogyo, Ibaraki, Japan.
We have previously reported that proanthocyanidins extracted from grape seeds possess growth-promoting activity toward murine hair epithelial cells in vitro and stimulate anagen induction in hair cycle progression in vivo. This report constitutes a comparison of the growth-promoting activity of procyanidin oligomers and the target cells of procyanidins in the skin. Results show that procyanidin dimer and trimer exhibit higher growth-promoting activity than the monomer. The maximum growth-promoting activity for hair epithelial cells with procyanidin B-2, an epicatechin dimer, reached about 300% (30 microM) relative to controls (= 100%) in a 5 d culture. Optimum concentration of procyanidin C-1, an epicatechin trimer, was lower than that of procyanidin B-2; the maximum growth-promoting activity of procyanidin C-1 was about 220% (3 microM). No other flavonoid compounds examined exhibit higher proliferative activities than the procyanidins. In skin constituent cells, only epithelial cells such as hair keratinocytes or epidermal keratinocytes respond to procyanidin oligomers. Topical application of 1% procyanidin oligomers on shaven C3H mice in the telogen phase led to significant hair regeneration [procyanidin B-2, 69.6% +/- 21.8% (mean +/- SD); procyanidin B-3, 80.9% +/- 13.0%; procyanidin C-1, 78.3% +/- 7.6%] on the basis of the shaven area; application of vehicle only led to regeneration of 41.7% (SD = 16.3%). In this paper, we demonstrate the hair-growing activity of procyanidin oligomers both in vitro and in vivo, and their potential for use as agents to induce hair growth.
PMID: 10084307, UI: 99181798