From osteoporosis and baldness
A third drug for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (baldness) has been found
Anatoly Alizar, Geektimes
The hair on the head performs an important function of thermoregulation of the brain, and its loss is undesirable from a biological and aesthetic point of view. Unfortunately, for some reason, men and women tend to lose some of their hair with age. In this case, you have to wear hats in the heat and cold.
Chemists and biologists have been working for many years to find effective means for hair regeneration. Perhaps more money is spent on these purposes in the world than on the space program. Currently, two drugs have been created for the treatment of baldness (androgenetic alopecia) – minoxidil and finasteride. Unfortunately, both drugs have side effects, and they do not guarantee a positive result.
Therefore, people suffering from hair loss decide to have a hair transplant. This is the only effective remedy without side effects. Some people have to undergo surgery due to special requirements for their appearance and/or professional necessity: these are actors, public figures, top managers of companies with a mass audience, etc.
Researchers from the Center for Dermatological Research University of Manchester Professor Ralph Paus (Ralf Paus) a new drug has been developed that may be more effective than existing remedies and will alleviate the suffering of people due to hair loss.
The scientific article was published in the open access on May 8, 2018 in the journal PLOS Biology.
The found drug was originally created as a remedy for the treatment of osteoporosis. But it was found that it has a significant stimulating effect on hair follicles in humans. Experiments have already been conducted "in vitro" on human biomaterial from patients who underwent surgical hair transplantation.
The history of the search for a new drug is like a scientific detective story.
Step 1: Study of Cyclosporine A
The research project was led by the group of Dr. Nathan Hawkshaw (Nathan Hawkshaw). In order to find new drugs for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia, scientists first decided to find out the molecular mechanisms of action of the old immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine A (CsA). This drug has been widely used since the 80s to suppress transplant rejection and treat autoimmune diseases. The fact is that it has serious side effects, the most harmless of them, but the most interesting is that it causes cosmetically undesirable hair growth on the human body.
It was this side effect that interested scientists. Why does the drug work like this?
The team performed a complete gene expression analysis of isolated human scalp hair follicles treated with CsA. It turned out that cyclosporine reduces the expression of the SFRP1 protein, which inhibits the development and growth of many tissues, including hair follicles.
This in itself became a worthy scientific discovery, because earlier doctors did not know about such a specific effect of cyclosporine, although the immunosuppressant has been widely used for a long time.
Step 2: SFRP1 protein
The inhibitory (suppressive) mechanism of action of the SFRP1 protein is completely unrelated to the immunosuppressive activity of cyclosporine. In other words, this protein is not associated with the side effects that are observed in the case of the use of CsA. Thus, protein has become a promising candidate for exploring new strategies for treating hair loss.
The task remained small: to find another drug that also suppresses the expression of SFRP1, as cyclosporine does. After some detective work, Dr. Hawkshaw and his colleagues found such a connection!
Step 3: WAY-316606 connection
A lucky find was an existing drug originally intended for the treatment of osteoporosis – this is a simple chemical WAY-316606. It turned out that to block SFRP1 specifically, it uses exactly the same mechanism as CsA.
Suppression of SFRP1 activity by WAY-316606 increases the expression of K85 protein and stimulates hair growth. Illustrations from an article in PLOS Biology – VM.
When treating hair follicles with WAY-316606, hair growth was stimulated in the same way as when treating CsA. According to the researchers, the external application of WAY-316606 ointment to the skin of a balding head can stimulate hair growth no worse, or even better, than CsA, and without side effects.
Interestingly, the hydrochloride WAY-316606 – a medicine with the formula C18H20ClF3N2O4S2 – is on sale. Although the formula is simple, but the drug against osteoporosis is patented and sold at a high price ($264.45 for 10 mg).
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru