A New Chemosensory Control Of Human Hair Growth: Olfactory Receptor OR10J1 Stimulation Promotes Scalp Hair Follicle Growth And Progenitor Cell Generation Ex Vivo

The study investigates the role of the olfactory receptor OR10J1 in promoting human hair growth. Researchers found that stimulating OR10J1 with the synthetic odorant dimetol in organ-cultured scalp hair follicles increased hair shaft production and prolonged the anagen phase, which is the active growth phase of hair. This was accompanied by increased proliferation and reduced apoptosis in the hair matrix, as well as increased expression of the growth factor IGF-1 and decreased expression of the catagen-inducing protein TGF-β2. Dimetol also increased the number and expression level of CD34+ progenitor cells in the sub-bulge region of hair follicles. The effects of dimetol were specifically mediated through OR10J1, as shown by the use of OR10J1 siRNA. These findings suggest that OR10J1 agonists like dimetol could be explored as novel, non-drug treatments for androgenetic alopecia, a condition characterized by shortened anagen phases and reduced progenitor cell generation.