The Efficacy and Safety of Topical Valproic Acid in Preventing Hair Loss

Summary

Beta-catenin, the transducer of Wnt signaling, is critical in development, growth, and regeneration of hair. In the absence of Wnt signals, cytoplasmic β-catenin is maintained at low level through regulation by GSK-3, multifunctional serine/threonin kinase. After phosphorylation by GSK-3, β-catenin is ubiquitinated and degraded in cytoplasm. Therefore, inhibition of GSK-3 is able to increase β-catenin in nucleus and would be able to induce growth of hair. Valproic acid (VPA) is an anticonvulsant and mood-stabilizing drug used for decades and is known to inhibit the GSK-3β. However, the effect of VPA on hairs has not been studied yet.

Timeline

Start

2011-09

Primary completion

2012-05

Completion

2012-06

Drugs

Indications