National Nakdong River Biological Resources Center patents hair-loss treatment after finding compound promotes dermal papilla cell growth

The National Nakdong River Biological Resources Center said Thursday it had confirmed that vicenin-2, a flavonoid-based natural compound found in plants, promotes the proliferation of dermal papilla cells, which play a key role in hair growth.

Researchers at the center have been analyzing the chemical composition of Viola verecunda, a freshwater plant, since 2021 and identified vicenin-2 in the course of that work. They subsequently studied the compound in isolation to assess its activity related to hair growth.

The team applied vicenin-2 to dermal papilla cells at varying concentrations and measured the degree of cell proliferation. Cell proliferation increased significantly compared with the control group — by 7.4 percent at 1 microgram per milliliter, 9.1 percent at 10 micrograms per milliliter, and 14.3 percent at 40 micrograms per milliliter.

Further analysis of the compound's mechanism showed increased activity of protein kinase B, a protein involved in the signaling pathways that regulate cell proliferation and survival. The finding points to the signaling changes underlying the previously observed promotion of dermal papilla cell growth.

Based on those findings, the center registered a patent in August for the use of vicenin-2 in hair-loss treatment applications.

Jeong Yu-jin, head of the center's Applied Technology Development Division, said the research "is significant in that it identified a new activity related to hair growth in a previously known natural compound and demonstrated its potential as a material for improving hair loss."