Effects and mechanisms of Huangqi granules on hair growth in mice with seborrheic alopecia
- VernacularTitle:黄芪颗粒对脂溢性脱发小鼠毛发生长的影响及机制
- Author:
Yan PENG
1
;
Ailing ZOU
2
Author Information
1. Dept. of Dermatology，Wuhan Fifth Hospital，Wuhan 430050，China
2. Dept. of Dermatology，Huangshi Central Hospital，Hubei Huangshi 435000，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Huangqi granules;
seborrheic alopecia;
hair growth;
TLR4/MyD88 signaling pathway
- From:
China Pharmacy
2026;37(10):1277-1282
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and underlying mechanism of Huangqi granules on hair growth in mice with seborrheic alopecia based on Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）/myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88 （MyD88） signaling pathway. METHODS Male mice were randomly divided into control group， model group， inhibitor group （treated with 0.3 mg/kg TLR4 inhibitor TAK-242）， Huangqi granules group （treated with 1.0 g/kg Huangqi g ranules） and Huangqi granules+activator group （treated with 1.0 g/kg Huangqi granules combined with 2.5 mg/kg TLR4 activator lipopolysaccharide）， with 12 mice in each group. Except for the control group， the seborrheic alopecia model of mice in other groups was induced by applying rosin-paraffin mixture on the back and injecting testosterone propionate subcutaneously. After modeling， mice in each group were given intragastric administration and intraperitoneal injection of corresponding drugs or （and） normal saline once a day for 20 consecutive days. The time of skin color transition and hair emergence time were compared among those groups. After the last medication， the length of newly-grown hair， serum levels of immune factors [interferon-γ （IFN-γ）， interleukin-4 （IL-4） ] and sex hormones [testosterone （T）， dihydrotestosterone （DHT） ] ， as well as the levels of hair growth factors [insulin-like growth factor 1 （IGF-1）， vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， transforming growth factor-β 1 （TGF-β 1 ） ] in the dorsal skin tissue were measured in each group. Pathological changes and cell apoptosis of hair follicle tissue were observed， and the protein expressions of TLR4 and MyD88 in the dorsal skin tissue were detected. RESULTS Compared with the control group， hair follicle cells in the model group were irregular in size， disordered in arrangement， and showed a significant reduction in melanin content. The time of skin color transition， hair emergence time， the levels of IFN-γ， T， DHT and TGF-β 1 ， the apoptosis rate of hair follicle cells， as well as the protein expressions of TLR4 and MyD88 in the model group were significantly prolonged/increased/up-regulated， while the length of newly-grown hair， the number of hair follicles， and the levels of IL-4， IGF-1 and VEGF were significantly shortened/reduced/decreased （ P ＜0.05）. Compared with the model group， the morphological structure of hair follicle tissue in the Huangqi granules group and inhibitor group was significantly restored， and the above quantitative indicators were significantly improved （ P ＜0.05）. Moreover， the effects of the two groups were comparable （ P ＞0.05）. The TLR4 activator could significantly reverse the improvement effect of Huangqi granules on the above indicators in mice with seborrheic alopecia （ P ＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Huangqi granules can regulate immune function， reduce hair follicle cell apoptosis， and promote hair growth in mice with seborrheic alopecia， which may be related to the inhibition of TLR4/MyD88 signaling pathway activation.
