Vitamin-boosted stem cells show promise in curing baldness

A team of researchers in Japan has discovered that VD3, a super-active form of Vitamin D, boosts stem cells to enhance and maintain their ability to induce hair growth. This new study, reported in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, builds upon previous studies that have demonstrated how dermal papilla cells (DPCs) can stimulate epithelial stem cells to become hair.

“We had already discovered how VD3 increases the transforming growth factor TGF-ß2 and alkali-phosphatase activity — two essential features of hair-inducing DPCs. This time we focused on VD3’s therapeutic potency and values for hair regeneration,” said Kotaro Yoshimura, M.D. “The results suggest that it may be useful in expanding human DPCs with good quality, and help establish a DPC transplantation therapy for growing hair.”