Inhibition of CSR regrows hair!

Baldness is a common aliment that many people would rather reverse or avoid completely. Stress and other life events can impact hair follicle growth and lead to a form of baldness. This suggests that stress hormones, including corticosteroids, are major contributors to the problem. Indeed, in mouse models, inhibition of corticosteroid releasing hormone (CSR), adrenocortropic hormone or glucocorticoids can impair hair follicle growth. A recent article in PLoS One by Wang et al has shown by inhibiting two forms of the corticosteroid releasing hormone (CSR1 and CSR2) together, but not either one alone, synergized to regrow hair in mice. In this paper, administration of a CSR1/CSR2 inhibitor, astressin-B, for only 5 days produced dramatic hair regrowth on the heads and back of balding mice. The hair that regrew did so quickly (within a matter of weeks) and lasted for at least 4 months -- a long time in a mouse lifespan.

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