How prolactin causes hair loss

[Mauritio]

i could send you 10 studies saying taurine either has no effect or increases prolactin

Okay but then it better be 10

 

[Mauritio]

I noticed that taking black cumin seeds is very effective for decreasing my hair loss. I use mostly the seeds but today I tried the oil directly on my hair and it makes it really soft too.
I also used the excess oil on my face and my skin is insanely smooth now. It increases tanning / melanin (Nigella sativa seed extract and its bioactive compound thymoquinone: the new melanogens causing hyperpigmentation in the wall lizard melanophores - PubMed)

Black cumin seems to lower prolactin quite effectively, almost as good as bromocriptine in this study!

- https://www.veterinarypaper.com/pdf/2018/vol3issue4/PartA/3-3-11-284.pdf

 

[Mauritio]

The pro-hair effect might also be due to black cumins effect on prostaglandins . It lowers prostaglandins e2. PGE2 is bad for hair loss.

- Effect of thymoquinone on cyclooxygenase expression and prostaglandin production in a mouse model of allergic airway inflammation - PubMed


Another mechanism could be its anti-microbial effects.
have long observed in myself that there seems to be connection between gut health ,sinus health and hair loss.
So it might exert its effect that way too.

 

[PhilParma]

The pro-hair effect might also be due to black cumins effect on prostaglandins . It lowers prostaglandins e2. PGE2 is bad for hair loss.

- Effect of thymoquinone on cyclooxygenase expression and prostaglandin production in a mouse model of allergic airway inflammation - PubMed

I was under the impression that PGE2 is supposed to be good for hair growth. PGD2 bad, PGE2 good; in theory.

 

[GenericName86]

I was under the impression that PGE2 is supposed to be good for hair growth. PGD2 bad, PGE2 good; in theory.

Yeah I had heard it was PGE2 that was good, which is why some people ingest castor oil for hair growth.

 

[Mauritio]

I was under the impression that PGE2 is supposed to be good for hair growth. PGD2 bad, PGE2 good; in theory.

Oh yeah you're right . Then that theory is out the window.

 

[gd81]

Lisuride is good for the fibrosis in hairloss as well as lowering prolactin. Nobody mentioning thyroid though

 

[golder]

I noticed that taking black cumin seeds is very effective for decreasing my hair loss. I use mostly the seeds but today I tried the oil directly on my hair and it makes it really soft too.
I also used the excess oil on my face and my skin is insanely smooth now. It increases tanning / melanin (Nigella sativa seed extract and its bioactive compound thymoquinone: the new melanogens causing hyperpigmentation in the wall lizard melanophores - PubMed)

Black cumin seems to lower prolactin quite effectively, almost as good as bromocriptine in this study!
View attachment 50668

- https://www.veterinarypaper.com/pdf/2018/vol3issue4/PartA/3-3-11-284.pdf

Great find!

 

[Mauritio]

Lisuride is good for the fibrosis in hairloss as well as lowering prolactin. Nobody mentioning thyroid though

View attachment 50696
View attachment 50697
View attachment 50698

Lisuride was mentioned earlier in this thread. Thyroid is very effective for hair growth and has big body of evidence behind it supporting that.

 

[Jamsey]

Local hair follicle prolactin receptor expression is not controlled by circulating prolactin, and is not affected by central dopamine agonists or dopamine. While lowering prolactin will help hair loss, it is more of a bandaid as the prolactin receptor expression in hair follicles remains elevated. This receptor expression is primarily controlled by interferon gamma.

Hormonal Effects on Hair Follicles

The hair cycle and hair follicle structure are highly affected by various hormones. Androgens—such as testosterone (T); dihydrotestosterone (DHT); and their prohormones, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and androstendione (A)—are the key factors in terminal hair growth. They act on...

www.mdpi.com

“The very same research study identified the proinflammatory cytokines, IFNγ and TNFα, as regulators of PRL expression in HFs. Interestingly, dopamine, known as an inhibitor of PRL pituitary secretions, has no effect on PRL or PRL-R expression in human HFs [22]”

Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha, Interferon Gamma and Substance P Are Novel Modulators of Extrapituitary Prolactin Expression in Human Skin

Human scalp skin and hair follicles (HFs) are extra-pituitary sources of prolactin (PRL). However, the intracutaneous regulation of PRL remains poorly understood. Therefore we investigated whether well-recognized regulators of pituitary PRL expression, ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

“Interferon (IFN) γ increased PRL IR in the epithelium of human HFs”

This is one reason why topical cyclosporine works so well.

Parodi, A. "Topical cyclosporine in alopecia areata." Archives of dermatology (1987)
View attachment 8300 View attachment 8302 View attachment 8303 View attachment 8304click to embiggen

 

[golder]

Local hair follicle prolactin receptor expression is not controlled by circulating prolactin, and is not affected by central dopamine agonists or dopamine. While lowering prolactin will help hair loss, it is more of a bandaid as the prolactin receptor expression in hair follicles remains elevated. This receptor expression is primarily controlled by interferon gamma.

Hormonal Effects on Hair Follicles

The hair cycle and hair follicle structure are highly affected by various hormones. Androgens—such as testosterone (T); dihydrotestosterone (DHT); and their prohormones, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and androstendione (A)—are the key factors in terminal hair growth. They act on...

www.mdpi.com

“The very same research study identified the proinflammatory cytokines, IFNγ and TNFα, as regulators of PRL expression in HFs. Interestingly, dopamine, known as an inhibitor of PRL pituitary secretions, has no effect on PRL or PRL-R expression in human HFs [22]”

Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha, Interferon Gamma and Substance P Are Novel Modulators of Extrapituitary Prolactin Expression in Human Skin

Human scalp skin and hair follicles (HFs) are extra-pituitary sources of prolactin (PRL). However, the intracutaneous regulation of PRL remains poorly understood. Therefore we investigated whether well-recognized regulators of pituitary PRL expression, ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

“Interferon (IFN) γ increased PRL IR in the epithelium of human HFs”

This is one reason why topical cyclosporine works so well.

Very useful post. Is there anything we could potentially try with this in kind with a better safety profile than cyclosporine?

 

[Jamsey]

Very useful post. Is there anything we could potentially try with this in kind with a better safety profile than cyclosporine?

Cyclosporine is definitely the most effective and has the best evidence. But besides that, tanshinones from Salvia militorrhiza might have promise.

Inhibition of interleukin-12 and interferon-gamma production in immune cells by tanshinones from Salvia miltiorrhiza - PubMed

Pharmacological control of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production may be a key therapeutic strategy for modulating immunological diseases dominated by Th1-derived cytokine responses. In this study, we investigated the effects of three different tanshinone pigments...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

WO2021125733A1 - Pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating hair loss - Google Patents

The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating hair loss, which can effectively prevent or treat hair loss by inhibiting NOX expression and reducing the generation of reactive oxygen. The composition according to the present invention comprises two or...

patents.google.com

But, in general, I’m skeptical of herbal supplements so take it with a grain of salt. And I generally believe it’s the environment of the balding scalp that encourages microbial growth and therefore activates the immune system and interferon gamma, so maybe suppressing this reaction isn’t the greatest move.

 

[gd81]

Local hair follicle prolactin receptor expression is not controlled by circulating prolactin, and is not affected by central dopamine agonists or dopamine. While lowering prolactin will help hair loss, it is more of a bandaid as the prolactin receptor expression in hair follicles remains elevated. This receptor expression is primarily controlled by interferon gamma.

Hormonal Effects on Hair Follicles

The hair cycle and hair follicle structure are highly affected by various hormones. Androgens—such as testosterone (T); dihydrotestosterone (DHT); and their prohormones, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and androstendione (A)—are the key factors in terminal hair growth. They act on...

www.mdpi.com

“The very same research study identified the proinflammatory cytokines, IFNγ and TNFα, as regulators of PRL expression in HFs. Interestingly, dopamine, known as an inhibitor of PRL pituitary secretions, has no effect on PRL or PRL-R expression in human HFs [22]”

Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha, Interferon Gamma and Substance P Are Novel Modulators of Extrapituitary Prolactin Expression in Human Skin

Human scalp skin and hair follicles (HFs) are extra-pituitary sources of prolactin (PRL). However, the intracutaneous regulation of PRL remains poorly understood. Therefore we investigated whether well-recognized regulators of pituitary PRL expression, ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

“Interferon (IFN) γ increased PRL IR in the epithelium of human HFs”

This is one reason why topical cyclosporine works so well.

I'm not convinced given a) everything Ray has said about receptor theory and b) it's a petri dish study

Bupropion is TNFα antagonist but one of the worst antidepressants for causing hairloss

 

[Mauritio]

Local hair follicle prolactin receptor expression is not controlled by circulating prolactin, and is not affected by central dopamine agonists or dopamine. While lowering prolactin will help hair loss, it is more of a bandaid as the prolactin receptor expression in hair follicles remains elevated. This receptor expression is primarily controlled by interferon gamma.

Hormonal Effects on Hair Follicles

The hair cycle and hair follicle structure are highly affected by various hormones. Androgens—such as testosterone (T); dihydrotestosterone (DHT); and their prohormones, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and androstendione (A)—are the key factors in terminal hair growth. They act on...

www.mdpi.com

“The very same research study identified the proinflammatory cytokines, IFNγ and TNFα, as regulators of PRL expression in HFs. Interestingly, dopamine, known as an inhibitor of PRL pituitary secretions, has no effect on PRL or PRL-R expression in human HFs [22]”

Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha, Interferon Gamma and Substance P Are Novel Modulators of Extrapituitary Prolactin Expression in Human Skin

Human scalp skin and hair follicles (HFs) are extra-pituitary sources of prolactin (PRL). However, the intracutaneous regulation of PRL remains poorly understood. Therefore we investigated whether well-recognized regulators of pituitary PRL expression, ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

“Interferon (IFN) γ increased PRL IR in the epithelium of human HFs”

This is one reason why topical cyclosporine works so well.

Thanks for sharing .
That would support the endotoxin-hairloss connection, since endotxin is one of the biggest drivers of inflammatory cytokines.
So Endotoxin would cause an increase in cytokines and nitric oxide ,which would stimulate inflammation and prolactin release in the scalp (and everywhere else), which would lead to hair loss.

To me there's no doubt that there's a strong connection between gut health and hair loss. I think the hormonal component is secondary to that .

 

[EvanHinkle]

Yep, I could see it. Thanks for the post.

Thanks for sharing .
That would support the endotoxin-hairloss connection, since endotxin is one of the biggest drivers of inflammatory cytokines.
So Endotoxin would cause an increase in cytokines and nitric oxide ,which would stimulate inflammation and prolactin release in the scalp (and everywhere else), which would lead to hair loss.

To me there's no doubt that there's a strong connection between gut health and hair loss. I think the hormonal component is secondary to that .

I think the hormonal component is a direct result of the bacterial infection/endotoxin, (maybe you were implying this, if so, sorry for being redundant).

 

[Mauritio]

Yep, I could see it. Thanks for the post.

I think the hormonal component is a direct result of the bacterial infection/endotoxin, (maybe you were implying this, if so, sorry for being redundant).

Yes that's exactly what I meant.

 

[Jamsey]

Thanks for sharing .
That would support the endotoxin-hairloss connection, since endotxin is one of the biggest drivers of inflammatory cytokines.
So Endotoxin would cause an increase in cytokines and nitric oxide ,which would stimulate inflammation and prolactin release in the scalp (and everywhere else), which would lead to hair loss.

To me there's no doubt that there's a strong connection between gut health and hair loss. I think the hormonal component is secondary to that .

I believe that gut health strongly influences hair loss, but I hesitate in believing it is the cause. If gut stimulated inflammation and prolactin release caused hair loss, it feels likely that this hair loss would be occurring everywhere on the body. But that doesn’t seem to be the case for most balding or hair loss. So, to me, there has to be a factor that is specific to the scalp, or head region which is causing or accelerating the damage caused by this gut hormone axis. The local prolactin receptor expression being stimulated by interferon gamma is a clue to the local process occurring, which to me indicates that the immune system is fighting something in the scalp. Now, I don’t think the solution to this is necessarily throwing every anti microbial at it, but I do think investigating why the scalp in balding men is supporting this growth might have promise.

Microbiome in the hair follicle of androgenetic alopecia patients

Androgenetic alopecia is the most common form of hair loss in males. It is a multifactorial condition involving genetic predisposition and hormonal changes. The role of microflora during hair loss remains to be understood. We therefore analyzed the microbiome ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Potential Relevance of the Microbiome to Hair Physiology and Regeneration: The Emerging Role of Metagenomics

Human skin and hair follicles are recognized sites of microbial colonization. These microbiota help regulate host immune mechanisms via an interplay between microbes and immune cells, influencing homeostasis and inflammation. Bacteria affect immune responses ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[golder]

I believe that gut health strongly influences hair loss, but I hesitate in believing it is the cause. If gut stimulated inflammation and prolactin release caused hair loss, it feels likely that this hair loss would be occurring everywhere on the body. But that doesn’t seem to be the case for most balding or hair loss. So, to me, there has to be a factor that is specific to the scalp, or head region which is causing or accelerating the damage caused by this gut hormone axis. The local prolactin receptor expression being stimulated by interferon gamma is a clue to the local process occurring, which to me indicates that the immune system is fighting something in the scalp. Now, I don’t think the solution to this is necessarily throwing every anti microbial at it, but I do think investigating why the scalp in balding men is supporting this growth might have promise.

Microbiome in the hair follicle of androgenetic alopecia patients

Androgenetic alopecia is the most common form of hair loss in males. It is a multifactorial condition involving genetic predisposition and hormonal changes. The role of microflora during hair loss remains to be understood. We therefore analyzed the microbiome ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Potential Relevance of the Microbiome to Hair Physiology and Regeneration: The Emerging Role of Metagenomics

Human skin and hair follicles are recognized sites of microbial colonization. These microbiota help regulate host immune mechanisms via an interplay between microbes and immune cells, influencing homeostasis and inflammation. Bacteria affect immune responses ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Good point RE no loss of body hair. Do you think some level of antimicrobial action would be worth doing for the scalp? If so, where do you think would be good to start?

 

[Mephisto]

Please oh please stop repeating these statements, women do get male pattern baldness! Certainly not the majority, but many do, and I have, since I was 16. I've had hair transplanted from the nape area to the top of my head, why do these follicles survive the trauma of transplant and a new environment as the original top follicles continue to waste and wane? Protective hormones such as progesterone can't quite answer this bizarre phenomenon.

the majority of the women on the hairloss sub on reddit say they have andoregenic alopecia/mpb so it's definitely more common than people think

 

[golder]

I believe that gut health strongly influences hair loss, but I hesitate in believing it is the cause. If gut stimulated inflammation and prolactin release caused hair loss, it feels likely that this hair loss would be occurring everywhere on the body. But that doesn’t seem to be the case for most balding or hair loss. So, to me, there has to be a factor that is specific to the scalp, or head region which is causing or accelerating the damage caused by this gut hormone axis. The local prolactin receptor expression being stimulated by interferon gamma is a clue to the local process occurring, which to me indicates that the immune system is fighting something in the scalp. Now, I don’t think the solution to this is necessarily throwing every anti microbial at it, but I do think investigating why the scalp in balding men is supporting this growth might have promise.

Microbiome in the hair follicle of androgenetic alopecia patients

Androgenetic alopecia is the most common form of hair loss in males. It is a multifactorial condition involving genetic predisposition and hormonal changes. The role of microflora during hair loss remains to be understood. We therefore analyzed the microbiome ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Potential Relevance of the Microbiome to Hair Physiology and Regeneration: The Emerging Role of Metagenomics

Human skin and hair follicles are recognized sites of microbial colonization. These microbiota help regulate host immune mechanisms via an interplay between microbes and immune cells, influencing homeostasis and inflammation. Bacteria affect immune responses ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Something like this perhaps?