title: Cow placenta extract promotes murine hair growth through enhancing the insulin - like growth factor-1.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hair loss is seen as an irreversible process. Most research concentrates on how to elongate the anagen, reduce the negative factors of obstructing hair growth and improve the hair number and size.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In our experiment, we tried to prove that the cow placenta extract can promote hair growth by elongating hair shaft and increasing hair follicle number.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cow placenta extract (CPE), water and minoxidil applied separately on the back of depilated B57CL/6 mice for the case, negative and positive control respectively. We checked the proliferation of cells which are resident in hair sheath, and the expression of a few growth factors which stimulate hair growth.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Result shows that placenta extract more efficiently accelerates cell division and growth factor expression, by raising the insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) mRNA and protein level to increase HF size and hair length.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The extract is not a purified product; so, it is less effective than minoxidil, which is approved by the US FDA for the treatment of male pattern baldness. If refinement is done, the placenta extract would be a good candidate medicine for hair loss.
authors.affiliation: from Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764, Korea.
authors.forename: Dongliang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Gu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lijuan
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jingjie
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Chunyan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mira
authors.forename: Changkeun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sung