Avance en la calvicie: el microARN estimula el crecimiento del cabello en los folículos que envejecen

Por Northwestern University 8 de junio de 2023

Los científicos de Northwestern Medicine descubrieron que la rigidez de las células madre del folículo piloso envejecidas dificulta el crecimiento del cabello. Descubrieron que suavizar estas células usando un diminuto ARN, miR-205, estimula el crecimiento del cabello en ratones. Los experimentos futuros probarán si el miR-205 administrado tópicamente puede promover el crecimiento del cabello en humanos.

El ablandamiento de las células madre del folículo piloso rígido con un microARN hace que el cabello vuelva a crecer.

Así como las articulaciones de las personas pueden volverse rígidas a medida que envejecen y dificultarles el movimiento, las células madre del folículo piloso también se endurecen, lo que les dificulta el crecimiento del cabello, informa un nuevo estudio de Northwestern Medicine.

Pero si las células madre del folículo piloso se suavizan, es más probable que produzcan cabello, encontraron los científicos.

Northwestern scientists discovered how to soften up those stem cells to enable them to grow hair again. In a study in mice published recently in the journal PNAS, the investigators report that they can soften the stem cells by boosting the production of a tiny RNARibonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule similar to DNA that is essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. Both are nucleic acids, but unlike DNA, RNA is single-stranded. An RNA strand has a backbone made of alternating sugar (ribose) and phosphate groups. Attached to each sugar is one of four bases—adenine (A), uracil (U), cytosine (C), or guanine (G). Different types of RNA exist in the cell: messenger RNA (mRNA), ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and transfer RNA (tRNA)." data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]"> ARN, miR-205, que relaja la dureza de las células. Cuando los científicos manipularon genéticamente las células madre para producir más miR-205, promovieron el crecimiento del cabello en ratones jóvenes y viejos.

"They started to grow hair in 10 days," said corresponding author Rui Yi, the Paul E. Steiner Research Professor of Pathology and professor of dermatology at Northwestern UniversityEstablished in 1851, Northwestern University (NU) is a private research university based in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Northwestern is known for its McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Kellogg School of Management, Feinberg School of Medicine, Pritzker School of Law, Bienen School of Music, and Medill School of Journalism. " data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]"> Facultad de Medicina Feinberg de la Universidad Northwestern. "Estas no son nuevas células madre que se están generando. Estamos estimulando las células madre existentes para hacer crecer el cabello. Muchas veces todavía tenemos células madre, pero es posible que no puedan generar el cabello".

"Nuestro estudio demuestra la posibilidad de estimular el crecimiento del cabello mediante la regulación de la mecánica celular. Debido al potencial de administrar microARN mediante nanopartículas directamente en la piel, a continuación probaremos si el miR-205 administrado tópicamente puede estimular el crecimiento del cabello primero en ratones. Si tiene éxito, diseñaremos experimentos para probar si este microARN puede promover potencialmente el crecimiento del cabello en humanos".

This study was conducted in genetically engineered mouse models. The scientists used advanced microscopy tools, including atomic force microscopy, to measure the stiffness and two-photonA photon is a particle of light. It is the basic unit of light and other electromagnetic radiation, and is responsible for the electromagnetic force, one of the four fundamental forces of nature. Photons have no mass, but they do have energy and momentum. They travel at the speed of light in a vacuum, and can have different wavelengths, which correspond to different colors of light. Photons can also have different energies, which correspond to different frequencies of light." data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]">microscopía de fotones para monitorear comportamientos celulares en animales vivos.

Referencia: "MicroRNA-205 promueve la regeneración del cabello al modular las propiedades mecánicas de las células madre del folículo piloso" por Jingjing Wang, Yuheng Fu, Wenmao Huang, Ritusree Biswas, Avinanda Banerjee, Joshua A. Broussard, Zhihai Zhao, Dongmei Wang, Glen Bjerke, Srikala Raghavan, Jie Yan, Kathleen J. Green y Rui Yi, 22 de mayo de 2023, Actas de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2220635120

Otros autores del noroeste incluyen a Jingjing Wang, Yuheng Fu y Kathleen Green.

This study was funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases grants AR066703, AR071435, AR043380, AR041836, and P30AR075049 of the National Institutes of HealthThe National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. Founded in 1887, it is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NIH conducts its own scientific research through its Intramural Research Program (IRP) and provides major biomedical research funding to non-NIH research facilities through its Extramural Research Program. With 27 different institutes and centers under its umbrella, the NIH covers a broad spectrum of health-related research, including specific diseases, population health, clinical research, and fundamental biological processes. Its mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability." data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]">Institutos Nacionales de Salud.