Investigations into the roles of potassium channels in hair growth. Studies confirming the presence of several ATP-­sensitive potassium (K+ATP) channels in hair follicles and exploring their mechanism of action using molecular biological, cell culture, organ culture and proteomic approaches.

Description

Hair disorders cause significant distress. The main, but limited, treatment for hair
loss is minoxidil, an ATP-­sensitive potassium (KATP) channel opener whose
mechanism of stimulation is unclear. The regulatory component of KATP channels
has three forms: SUR1, SUR2A and SUR2B which all respond to different molecules.
Minoxidil only opens SUR2B channels, though SUR1 and SUR2B are present in
human hair follicles.
To expand our understanding, the red deer hair follicle model was used initially.
Deer follicles expressed the same KATP channel genes as human follicles when
growing (anagen), but no channels were detected in resting follicles. This
reinforces the importance of KATP channels in active hair growth and the usefulness
of the deer model. To assess whether SUR1 KATP channels are actually involved in
human hair growth, the effects of a selective SUR1 channel opener, NNC55-­9216,
on scalp follicle growth in organ culture was examined. NNC55-­9216
stimulated anagen; its effect was augmented by minoxidil. This creates the
potential for more effective pharmaceuticals to treat hair loss via SUR1 channels,
either alone or in combination with minoxidil.
The dermal papilla plays a crucial regulatory role in hair follicle activity
determining the type of hair produced. Minoxidil had no effect on dermal papilla
cell proliferation, but altered the profile of proteins produced when assessed by
proteomics. Further research into the roles of KATP channels and greater
understanding of the significance of these protein changes should enhance our
knowledge of hair biology and help the development of new, improved therapies
for hair pathologies.

Links & Downloads

1. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/4461

Tags

Hair follicles

; Human

; KATP channel

; Minoxidil

; Animal model

; Red deer

; SUR1

; SUR2B

; Dermal papilla

; Hair loss

Additional Fields

Identifer	oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/4461
Date	January 2010
Creators	Zemaryalai, Khatera
Contributors	Randall, Valerie A., Thornton, M. Julie
Publisher	University of Bradford, Department of Biomedical Sciences
Source Sets	Bradford Scholars
Language	English
Detected Language	English
Type	Thesis, doctoral, PhD
Rights	<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>.