Researchers at the University of Manchester may have discovered a new cure for baldness : it is a known drug, already used against osteoporosis, which has the side effect of inhibiting the SFRP1 protein that acts on hair follicles and slowing down hair loss.
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The study, the results of which are published on PLOS Biology , was conducted in the laboratory. Researchers have experimented with the effects of the drug on hair follicles donated by about forty people who have undergone hair transplantation.
The project manager, Nathan Hawkshaw, has made it clear that further clinical testing will be necessary before being able to state that treatment is effective and safe on people.
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SIDE EFFECTS
The researchers had already found that an immunosuppressive drug, cyclosporin A , used as an anti-rejection drug in transplants and to reduce the symptoms of autoimmune diseases, reduced baldness. But the drug also had other side effects and was not used.
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However, the team persevered in this line of investigation to find another agent that interacts with the SFRP1 protein, inhibiting its effects. He identified it in the molecule WAY-316606, an active ingredient already used in the treatment of osteoporosis.
Hence the experimentation that could open new scenarios. In fact, currently the drugs for the treatment of baldness are mainly two: Minoxidil and Finasteride . However, both have important side effects and are rarely conclusive.