Research funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea has found that a root extract from the common or white mulberry (Morus alba) can potentially help to prevent hair loss.
The article, ‘Morus alba root extract induces the anagen phase in the human hair follicle dermal papilla cells’, was published in Pharmaceutics.
Restoring hair follicles by inducing the anagen phase of the hair cycle is seen as a promising approach to prevent hair loss. Hair follicle dermal papilla cells (HFDPCs) play a major role in hair growth via the telogen-to-anagen transition.
The researchers treated HFDPCs with M. alba root extract (MARE), which contains chlorogenic acid and umbelliferone, and is not cytotoxic to HFDPCs at a concentration of 20%. They found that MARE enhanced the activation of β-catenin, a growth factor which is crucial for inducing the anagen phase, in HFDPCs
“The effect of conditioned medium derived from MARE-treated HFDPCs on keratinocytes and endothelial cells was also investigated. The findings of this study demonstrate the potency of MARE in eliciting the telogen-to-anagen transition”, the authors said.
