New treatment for baldness – synthetic sandalwood aroma

There are many treatments for hair lossow – pills, lotions, shampoos or even injections of. However, their effectiveness leaves much to be desired. Now scientists have come up with a new idea: synthetic sandalwood fragrance. It turns out that aroma can promote hair growthow.

What we perceive as an odorant is actually an interaction between molecules called odorants or aromatic compounds and olfactory receptors thatore sends a signal to the mozgu when they are activated. Olfactory receptors can be found in the nose, of course, but similar receptors are found roAlso in many other parts of the body – m.In. on skorze wokołoin hair.

The findings were published in the „Nature Communications”.

Comowok epithelial cellsoł flatoin hair produce an olfactory receptor called OR2AT4, whichory plays a role in rotional physiological reactions, m.in. promotes the proliferation of keratinocytesow – comonask recordsorka. Researchers at the University of Manchester have discovered that OR2AT4 interacts with the molecular structure of synthetic sandalwood (Sandalore'u) aroma, which stimulates the growth of hairow. This aroma is widely used in cosmetics and perfumes. Interestingly, the natural scent of sandalwood has a different structure, so it does not have the same effect.

– This is a rather remarkable discovery. For the first time, it was found that the remodeling of the normal human mini-organ (hairo(w) can be regulated by a simple aromatic compound widely used in cosmetics – said study author Ralf Paus of the University of Manchester.

Scientists already knew that OR2AT4 could be used to promote keratinocyte proliferationow in skorze, which promotes wound healing. This resulted in Paus, along with the coohe researchers began to wonder whether OR2AT4 activation could promote hair growthow.

To test the idea, scientists subjected probki human skors of the head – passed on by patientoin those undergoing facelift procedures. Skohand immersed in the synthetic scent of sandalwood for six days. They chose the synthetic scent of sandalwood because this fragrance molecule especiallyolnie binds well to the OR2AT4 receptor, regulating the expression and secretion of a key hair growth factoroin the IGF-1 recurrent.

Hair follicles treated in this way survived longer and produced 25-30 percent. more hair growth factorow. When another chemical compound called Phenirate was mixed to silence OR2AT4, it inhibited hair growthow, suggesting that the receptor plays a greater role in hair growthow than previously thought.

Although the study was conducted using sk tissueory head in the lab, researchers say they may be about to successfully treat hair lossow. Using a synthetic sandalwood fragrance can be zarowno increase hair growthoin, as well as opoźnić natural death of comorec involved in the formation of new hairow.

The next step is to see if this result can be replicatedosee in a larger clinical study, whichore researchers hope to complete next January.