Шинэ төхөөрөмж цахилгаан өдөөлт болон эмчилгээний молекулыг хослуулан, хулганын үс ургалтыг нэмэгдүүлсэн ч хүний аюулгүй, үр дүнтэй эсэх нь тодорхойгүй байна.
Бээжингийн Бэйхангийн их сургуулийн судлаачдын боловсруулсан “Detangle” төхөөрөмж нь тусгай электродтой, сам хэлбэрийн биоэлектрон систем юм. Судлаачдын мэдээлснээр шүднүүдийн уртын ялгаа нь эгнүүлэн байрлуулсан электродоос 2.63 дахин хүчтэй цахилгаан орон үүсгэж, ердийн гадуур түрхлэгээс үсний уутанцрын орчимд ес дахин гүн нэвтрэх боломж бүрдүүлжээ.
Төхөөрөмжийн цахилгаан импульс үсний уутанцрыг өдөөхөөс гадна богино шүдэнд байрлуулсан эмчилгээний молекулыг арьсны гүн рүү хүргэхэд тусалдаг. Үүнд эсийн мембраны нэвчимтгий чанарыг түр нэмэгдүүлдэг электропораци хэмээх аргыг ашиглажээ. Туршилтад судасны ургалтыг дэмжих VEGFA плазмид болон үсний уутанцрыг жижгэрүүлдэг дааврыг дарангуйлах SRD5A2 siRNA-г хэрэглэсэн байна.
Тестостероноор үс уналт үүсгэсэн эр хулганын нурууны хуссан хэсэгт 28 хоногийн турш явуулсан туршилтаар эмчилгээ хийгээгүй бүлгийн үс ойролцоогоор 1 хувь ургасан бол зөвхөн цахилгаан өдөөлт авсан бүлэгт 40 хувь байв. Финастерид, миноксидил хэрэглэсэн хулганад тус тус 50, 70 хувийн ургалт ажиглагдсан бөгөөд цахилгаан өдөөлтийг SRD5A2 siRNA эсвэл VEGFA плазмидтай хослуулахад үзүүлэлт 85, 90 хувьд хүрчээ. Гурван аргыг хамтатгасан бүрэн эмчилгээнд үс ургалт 97.85 хувь байсан гэж судлаачид мэдээлсэн.
Үр дүн нь хулганад хийсэн туршилтаар гарсан бөгөөд андрогенетик халцралтай хүмүүст хэрэглэхэд аюулгүй, үр дүнтэй эсэхийг цаашдын судалгаагаар тогтоох шаардлагатай. Судалгааг Nature Communications сэтгүүлд нийтэлжээ.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
If you’re losing your hair, you might not be reaching for the comb as often as you used to.
It’s just possible that could be about to change.
Research from scientists in China has revealed a promising new way to fight hair loss, and the comb is the key component.
But this isn’t any regular comb. The ‘Detangle’ system, unveiled in a new study in Nature Communications, is a specialized comb-shaped bioelectronic device.
“This system features electronic teeth embedded with height-differentiated electrodes and integrated drug-loading modules, which generate an enhanced electric field penetrating up to ~9 times deeper into hair follicle regions than conventional external application,” its creators, led by researchers from Beihang University in Beijing, explain in their paper.
While Detangle has only been tested in experiments with mice for now, the results suggest this electric comb could potentially be a powerful tool to help treat androgenetic alopecia (AGA), also known as pattern hair loss, which is estimated to affect over a billion people worldwide.
The device generates pulsed electric fields from alternating teeth of different lengths. The researchers say the difference in the length of the teeth generates an electric field that’s 2.63 times stronger than if the teeth were aligned in a row.
In terms of hair regrowth, Detangle works in two different ways. The electrical pulses from the teeth promote hair growth by stimulating follicles, but the alternating shorter teeth are also loaded with a drug-delivery system that can drive therapeutic molecules deep into the skin, thanks to a process called electroporation, which temporarily boosts cell membrane permeability.
The tests here used two different kinds of experimental genetic treatments to complement the electrical stimulation: VEGFA plasmid, which stimulates the growth of blood vessels around hair follicles, and SRD5A2 siRNA, which suppresses a hormone that shrinks hair follicles.
In a range of experiments with mice, the combined effects of the full system delivered impressive results.
In male mice with testosterone-induced hair loss, untreated animals regrew only about 1 percent of the hair on a shaved portion of their backs during a 28-day experiment.
In mice that received Detangle’s electrostimulation only, hair growth increased to about 40 percent, which was significantly better.
However, electrical stimulation alone produced less regrowth than was seen in mice that received the hair growth drugs finasteride and minoxidil, with those mice seeing approximately 50 and 70 percent regrowth, respectively.
The strongest results came from Detangle’s electrical stimulation being combined with the therapeutic molecules. When paired with the treatments individually, SRD5A2 siRNA produced about 85 percent regrowth, and VEGFA plasmid saw about 90 percent.
But in animals that got the full Detangle treatment – electrostimulation combined with the two experimental therapies, VEGFA plasmid and SRD5A2 siRNA – hair regrowth was basically maximized, with the researchers saying the recovery was about 97.85 percent.
“This approach accelerates hair growth nearly 100 percent within a month in the AGA mouse model, surpassing the outcomes achievable with conventional oral or external medications,” the researchers write.
It’s a hugely promising proof of concept, but we’ll need to wait and see if further research can demonstrate that the techniques employed here with the Detangle system are safe and effective in humans.
But if future testing supports these findings, the humble hair comb could be making a comeback, and baldness is in for a bit of a shock.
The findings are reported in Nature Communications.
This article was fact-checked by Fiona MacDonald and edited by Fiona MacDonald. While we pride ourselves on our process, we are only human. If you spot a mistake, please let us know.
