美国一项研究显示，调查压力如何影响肠道的美国研究人员，偶然发现1种强烈的化学物质，而这种化学物质能帮助小鼠重新长出毛发。研究论文2月16日在线发表在《公共科学图书馆·综合》（PLoS ONE）杂志上。
实验发现，藉由阻断压力荷尔蒙能帮助小鼠重新长出毛发，效果比使用治疗秃头的生发药水成分敏诺西代还要好，不过目前还没经人体实验。
研究指出，美国加州大学洛杉矶分校以及退伍军人辅导会发现这项化学物质“完全出于意外”。
科学家将小鼠基因改造，用意是让这群突变小鼠体内，分泌出过多的促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子（CRF），让他们因长期处在压力下使背部毛发脱落。接下来在小鼠体内注射1种称做astressin-B的化合物，目的是阻断CRF，研究人员再去看肠胃道功能是否有所影响。
尽管一开始并看不出效果，研究人员仍持续5天疗程，完成肠胃道检验后，再把他们放回和有毛发的对照组一起。
经过3个月，研究人员回头去找这些历经长期高压的小鼠，然而却发现，他们无法分辨实验组与对照组，因为这些小鼠的背部都已长出毛。
研究还发现，阻断CRF不仅帮助生出毛发，似乎还有助维持发色不变灰的功效。
更让研究人员感到诧异的是，仅仅5天的疗程，居然可让生发的效果持续长达4个月。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原文出处：
PLoS ONE 6(2): e16377. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0016377
CRF Receptor Antagonist Astressin-B Reverses and Prevents Alopecia in CRF Over-Expressing Mice
Lixin Wang1#, Mulugeta Million1#*, Jean Rivier2, Catherine Rivier2, Noah Craft3, Mary P. Stenzel-Poore4, Yvette Taché1
Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling pathways are involved in the stress response, and there is growing evidence supporting hair growth inhibition of murine hair follicle in vivo upon stress exposure. We investigated whether the blockade of CRF receptors influences the development of hair loss in CRF over-expressing (OE)-mice that display phenotypes of Cushing's syndrome and chronic stress, including alopecia. The non-selective CRF receptors antagonist, astressin-B (5 μg/mouse) injected peripherally once a day for 5 days in 4–9 months old CRF-OE alopecic mice induced pigmentation and hair re-growth that was largely retained for over 4 months. In young CRF-OE mice, astressin-B prevented the development of alopecia that occurred in saline-treated mice. Histological examination indicated that alopecic CRF-OE mice had hair follicle atrophy and that astressin-B revived the hair follicle from the telogen to anagen phase. However, astressin-B did not show any effect on the elevated plasma corticosterone levels and the increased weights of adrenal glands and visceral fat in CRF-OE mice. The selective CRF2 receptor antagonist, astressin2-B had moderate effect on pigmentation, but not on hair re-growth. The commercial drug for alopecia, minoxidil only showed partial effect on hair re-growth. These data support the existence of a key molecular switching mechanism triggered by blocking peripheral CRF receptors with an antagonist to reset hair growth in a mouse model of alopecia associated with chronic stress.
