PLoS BiolplosplosbiolPLoS Biology1545-7885Public Library of ScienceSan Francisco, USA10.1371/image.pbio.v16.i05Issue ImageBiology and life sciencesAnatomyIntegumentary systemHairMedicine and health sciencesAnatomyIntegumentary systemHairBiology and life sciencesPhysiologyPhysiological processesHair growthMedicine and health sciencesPhysiologyPhysiological processesHair growthBiology and life sciencesAnatomyHeadScalpMedicine and health sciencesAnatomyHeadScalpBiology and life sciencesBiochemistryMetabolismMetabolitesBiology and life sciencesToxicologyToxicityMedicine and health sciencesPathology and laboratory medicineToxicologyToxicityBiology and life sciencesToxicologyToxic agentsMedicine and health sciencesPathology and laboratory medicineToxicologyToxic agentsResearch and analysis methodsImmunologic techniquesImmunoassaysImmunofluorescenceBiology and life sciencesImmunologyImmune system proteinsMedicine and health sciencesImmunologyImmune system proteinsBiology and life sciencesBiochemistryProteinsImmune system proteinsPLoS Biology Issue Image | Vol. 16(5) May 2018Issue Image520183152018165ev16.i052018HawkshawThis is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.<bold>Identifying novel strategies for treating human hair loss disorders: Cyclosporine A suppresses the Wnt inhibitor, SFRP1, in the dermal papilla of human scalp hair follicles</bold>

Hair loss is a common disorder and can lead to psychological distress. Cyclosporine A, a fungal metabolite commonly used as an immunosuppressant, has a side effect of potently inducing hair growth in humans, but its toxicity precludes its use for the restoration of hair growth. Hawkshaw et al. used Cyclosporine A as a lead compound to identify novel therapeutic targets that can aid the development of new hair growth–promoting agents. They found that Cyclosporine A significantly reduced the level of the secreted Wnt inhibitor, SFRP1, inspiring them to assess whether WAY-316606, a well-tolerated antagonist of SFRP1, could prolong the growth phase of the hair cycle. They show that WAY-316606 enhances human hair growth ex vivo, suggesting that it has the potential to treat human hair loss disorders. The image shows immunofluorescence of β-catenin protein (red) and cell nuclei (blue) in the human hair follicle bulb, the command center for maintaining hair growth.

Image Credit: Nathan Hawkshaw

<fig id="image-pbio-v16-i05-g001"><object-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1371/image.pbio.v16.i05.g001</object-id><caption><title><bold>Identifying novel strategies for treating human hair loss disorders: Cyclosporine A suppresses the Wnt inhibitor, SFRP1, in the dermal papilla of human scalp hair follicles</bold>

Hair loss is a common disorder and can lead to psychological distress. Cyclosporine A, a fungal metabolite commonly used as an immunosuppressant, has a side effect of potently inducing hair growth in humans, but its toxicity precludes its use for the restoration of hair growth. Hawkshaw et al. used Cyclosporine A as a lead compound to identify novel therapeutic targets that can aid the development of new hair growth–promoting agents. They found that Cyclosporine A significantly reduced the level of the secreted Wnt inhibitor, SFRP1, inspiring them to assess whether WAY-316606, a well-tolerated antagonist of SFRP1, could prolong the growth phase of the hair cycle. They show that WAY-316606 enhances human hair growth ex vivo, suggesting that it has the potential to treat human hair loss disorders. The image shows immunofluorescence of β-catenin protein (red) and cell nuclei (blue) in the human hair follicle bulb, the command center for maintaining hair growth.

Image Credit: Nathan Hawkshaw

2018HawkshawThis is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.