GROWTH FACTORS
Growth factors are proteins that bind to receptors on the surface of cells to activate the cells for proliferation and or differentiation. These “factors” are a naturally occurring substance capable of stimulating cell proliferation, wound healing, and occasionally cellular differentiation. Growth factors are involved in the regulation of hair morphogenesis and cycle hair growth. The present study sought to investigate the hair growth promoting activities of three approved growth factor drugs, fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF-10), acidic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-1), and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), and the mechanism of action. We observed that FGFs promoted hair growth by inducing the anagen phase. Growth factors are important for regulating a variety of cellular processes. It should be noted that several growth factors are manufactured under current cGMP, but they are less commonly used due to their premium pricing. Ultimately the controls in providing direction for differentiation can be better regulated via manufacturing vs harvesting.
Growth factors are mitogens that stimulate cell proliferation and are crucial in maintenance of cell characteristics. Specifically, the histomorphometric analysis data indicates that topical application of FGFs induced an earlier anagen phase and prolonged the mature anagen phase, in contrast to the control group. Moreover, the immunohistochemical analysis reveals earlier induction of β-catenin and Sonic hedgehog (Shh) in hair follicles of the FGFs-treated group. These results suggest that FGFs promote hair growth by inducing the anagen phase in resting hair follicles and might be a potential hair growth-promoting agent. The most commonly used growth factors in XF/ACF media include epidermal growth, factor basic fibroblast growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor. These growth factors are available as recombinant proteins and are widely used for cell therapy applications. The specific growth factors, concentrations and synergistic effects play a crucial role in achieving an optimized, cell specific, serum-free ACF medium.