Yes / Background and Objective: Though devices for hair growth based on low levels of light
have shown encouraging results, further improvements of their efficacy is impeded by a lack
of knowledge on the exact molecular targets that mediate physiological response in skin and
hair follicle. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of selected light-sensitive
receptors in the human hair follicle and to study the impact of UV-free blue light on hair
growth ex vivo.
Material and Methods: The expression of Opsin receptors in human skin and hair follicles
has been characterised using RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence approaches. The functional
significance of Opsin 3 was assessed by silencing its expression in the hair follicle cells
followed by a transcriptomic profiling. Proprietary LED-based devices emitting two discrete
visible wavelengths were used to access the effects of selected optical parameters on hair
growth ex vivo and outer root sheath cells in vitro.
Results: The expression of OPN2 (Rhodopsin) and OPN3 (Panopsin, Encephalopsin) was
detected in the distinct compartments of skin and anagen hair follicle. Treatment with 3.2
J/cm2 of blue light with 453 nm central wavelength significantly prolonged anagen phase in
hair follicles ex vivo that was correlated with sustained proliferation in the light-treated
samples. In contrast, hair follicle treatment with 3.2 J/cm2 of 689 nm light (red light) did not
significantly affect hair growth ex vivo. Silencing of OPN3 in the hair follicle outer root
sheath cells resulted in the altered expression of genes involved in the control of proliferation
and apoptosis, and abrogated stimulatory effects of blue light (3.2 J/cm2; 453 nm) on
proliferation in the outer root sheath cells. Conclusions: We provide the first evidence that 1) OPN2 and OPN3 are expressed in human hair follicle, and 2) 453 nm blue light at low radiant exposure exerts a positive effect on hair
growth ex vivo, potentially via interaction with OPN3. / This study was supported by the European Marie-Curie Actions Programme, Grant agreement no.: 607886
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/12062 |
| Date | 21 August 2017 |
| Creators | Buscone, S., Mardaryev, Andrei N., Raafs, B., Bikker, J.W., Sticht, C., Gretz, N., Farjo, N.P., Uzunbajakava, N.E., Botchkareva, Natalia V. |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Article, Accepted manuscript |
| Rights | © 2017 Wiley. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Buscone S, Mardaryev AN, Raafs B et al (2017) A new path in defining light parameters for hair growth: discovery and modulation of photoreceptors in human hair follicle. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine. 49(7): 705-718, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/lsm.22673. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving., Unspecified |
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