Scalp olfactory receptors have been shown to stimulate hair growth; in the future, this may become the basis of available medications for baldness.
There are many olfactory receptors on the nasal mucosa, but this is not the only place on the body where they are. They were found even on the surface of sperm, they are also found in the skin cells around the hair follicles. These receptors not only trap odor molecules, but also perform other functions.
Previously, scientists found that the olfactory receptor OR2AT4 is expressed in the skin cells around the hair follicles and it is involved in the differentiation and growth of skin cells, keratinocytes. Regulating hair growth is very similar to regulating cell growth, which is why a group of researchers in Germany led by Ralf Paus of the University of Manchester suggested that OR2AT4 could control hair growth.
The scientists took scalp samples donated for the experiment by patients after facelift surgery and placed the samples in a solution of Sandalore® synthetic fragrance with a sandalwood scent. The choice of fragrance was determined by the fact that the OR2AT4 receptor in the nose is activated by volatile components of the sandalwood.
Six days later, scientists took samples from the solution and measured the content of growth hormone in the cells; it turned out to be 25-30% higher than the initial one. In the presence of Phenirat, which blocks the OR2AT4 receptors and prevents them from binding to the sandalwood flavoring molecules, the growth hormone concentration decreased.
In addition, in the presence of Phenirat, hair follicle cells die off faster than without it, and in the presence of sandalwood flavor, the process of their natural death, apoptosis, slowed down. The authors of the work suggest that by delaying apoptosis, stimulation of the OR2AT4 receptor can prolong the hair growth phase.
This discovery could lead to a new direction in aromatherapy; perhaps stimulation with sandalwood scent can prevent or even combat baldness. The synthetic fragrance used in the experiment is cheap and massively produced for the perfume and cosmetics industry, which in theory could make such a treatment affordable. Natural sandalwood may not give the same results, the authors note.
The research is published in the journal Nature Communications.
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