Caizhixuan hair tonic regulates both apoptosis and the PI3K/Akt pathway to treat androgenetic alopecia

Abstract

Purpose Caizhixuan hair tonic (CZX) is a topical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (AGA). However, its active compounds and underlying mechanism for treating AGA are still unclear. The purpose of this study was to observe the effects of CZX on hair growth promotion in AGA mice and to explore the active components and mechanism. Methods Testosterone propionate was administered subcutaneously to mice to establish an AGA mouse model. The therapeutic effects of CZX on AGA were evaluated by observing skin colour changes, hair growth time, and average hair length; calculating the hair growth score; and performing skin histopathological analysis. Following that, CZX chemical components were analysed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC–Q–TOF/MS). Network pharmacology was used to predict the major effects and possible mechanisms of CZX for the treatment of AGA. Furthermore, RT-qPCR and Western blotting were performed to assess the expression of key genes and proteins involved in PI3K/Akt and apoptosis pathways in order to validate CZX’s predicted mechanism in AGA. Results CZX promoted hair growth and improved the pathological morphology of hair follicles in the skin. In UPLC–Q–TOF/MS analysis, 69 components from CZX were isolated. Based on network pharmacology, CZX alleviated AGA by regulating PI3K/Akt and apoptosis pathways. According to RT-qPCR and Western blotting, CZX upregulated the expressions of PI3K, Akt, and Bcl-2, while downregulating that of Bax and caspase-3. Conclusions CZX promotes hair growth to treat AGA by regulating the PI3K/Akt and apoptosis pathways.

FORMULATION OF HAIR TONIC COMBINATION OF ETHANOL EXTRACTS OF MORINGA OLEIFERA LAM LEAVES AND FRAGRANT PANDAN (Pandanus Amaryllifolius Roxb) AND ITS ACTIVITY ON HAIR GROWTH IN WHITE RATS

“…The mechanism of action of the Hair Tonic involves stimulating the growth of hair follicles that contain melanocyte cells responsible for producing melanin (hair color or pigment) and cells that synthesize hard keratin, which forms the foundation for healthy, shiny, and resilient hair. Hair Tonics are commonly formulated using plant extracts (Fang et al, 2023).…”