Combined 5-aminolevulinic acid and ferric ammonium citrate treatment promotes hair follicle growth by activating dermal papilla cells.
Ryu HW., Oh ES., Kim S.
Laboratory Study on Hair Loss, published in FEBS Open Bio (2026) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.
This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.
- Study type
- Laboratory Study
- Journal
- FEBS Open Bio (2026)
- Country
- England
- Reported sample size
- —
- PMID
- 41873782
- DOI
- 10.1002/2211-5463.70230
Abstract (original English)
Although 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) has shown potential for hair growth in previous studies, the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the combined effect of 5-ALA with ferric ammonium citrate (FAC) in human hair follicle models. At low micromolar concentrations, 5-ALA/FAC treatment increased proliferation of dermal papilla cells, keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and adipose-derived stem cells, and rapidly activated ERK and AKT signaling. This treatment also upregulated hair-inductive genes and restored their suppression by dihydrotestosterone or oxidative stress. In functional assays, 5-ALA/FAC treatment induced hair follicle-like structures in reconstituted skin and enhanced hair shaft elongation in ex vivo organ culture. These findings indicate that 5-ALA/FAC treatment stimulates human hair follicle growth and support its potential as a therapeutic candidate for hair loss.
What this study does not prove
- • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
- • This is preclinical work; animal or laboratory results cannot be applied to humans.
Evidence level
Evidence comes from animal or laboratory studies and has not been confirmed in humans.
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