Scientists Find Out Why Hair Turns Grey: Lack of Melanocytes Found to be the Reason

 

Scientists Find Out Why Hair Turns Grey

Grey Hair is a common side effect of aging and, for many individuals, it may be embarrassing and frustrating. Although there are several hair dyes and other products on the market that can cover Grey Hair, these treatments are sometimes just temporary and can be costly or time-consuming to keep up.

Recent studies, however, seem to indicate that there could be a more long-lasting answer to the Grey Hair issue. Recent discoveries by researchers suggest that certain stem cells may be able to travel specifically within hair follicles, maintaining the original color of the hair strands.

Researchers looking at mouse hair follicles have now determined how and why Hair Greys, which might one day result in brand-new strategies to slow down or reverse the process.

At the most fundamental level, we already know that Gray Hair results from a shortage of specialized pigment-producing cells called melanocytes, but we still don't completely comprehend why or how this occurs or if there is a strategy to stop it.

Research: The most recent research, which was published on April 19 in the journal Nature, questions established ideas about how melanocytes develop while also adding some fresh data.

The current research focuses on the melanocyte stem cells found in hair follicles, which are where melanocytes are produced.

It appears that as we age, these precursors of pigment-producing cells get trapped in the follicle's bulge and stop producing enough melanocytes to color the hair strand as it grows.

In experiments on mice, the proportion of stable hair follicles in the follicular bulb rose from 15% to over 50% following an artificially accelerated aging process.

These cells were trapped like congenital stem cells and no longer regenerated or developed into cells that could produce color.

According to Ki Sun: Dermatologist Ki Sun of New York University remarked, "Our work adds to our fundamental knowledge of how melanocyte stems cells color hair.

The recently uncovered processes suggest that humans may also have melanocyte stem cells that are locked in place.

If true, Sun continued, "It represents a potential pathway to reverse or prevent greying in human hair by aiding the stacked cells to move back between the sections of the growing hair follicles."

According to Mayumi Ito: Greying and hair color loss may be caused by melanocyte stem 

cells losing their ability to act like chameleons, according to dermatologist Mayumi Ito of New York University.

"These results suggest that melanocyte stem cell motility and reversible differentiation are key to maintaining hair health and color," the researcher said in her conclusion.

The frequency of hair follicles with McSCs lodged in the bulge increased from 15% before plucking to over 50% after physically aging the mice's hair through forced regrowth, the researchers found throughout their trials. These cells were unable to grow again or develop into pigment-producing melanocytes.

The research demonstrated that the McSCs from the mice caught in the bulge lost their ability to regenerate. Other McSCs, on the other hand, maintained their capacity to regenerate and consistently produced pigment throughout the two-year research period as they continued to move between the hair germ and follicle bulge.

Leila Asfour: The "obvious implication" of the research, according to Leila Asfour, a specialist from the British Association of Dermatologists, is that we could be one step closer to reversing our Grey Hairs. The research may also benefit our understanding of other disorders where stem cells may be involved, such as fatal melanoma skin cancer, according to the researcher.

MIT researchers regenerate inner ear hair growth to reverse hearing loss. These results indicate that the maintenance of healthy and colored hair depends on melanocyte stem cell motility and reversible differentiation.

The researchers will now look at possible ways to make McSCs more mobile or physically move them back to the germ compartment where they can manufacture pigment and prevent greying of the hair.

In conclusion, the recent study has shed new light on the cause of Grey Hair by uncovering the mechanisms behind melanocyte deficiency. By identifying the specific genes and proteins responsible for melanocyte stem cell production and survival, the researchers have provided valuable insights into potential ways to prevent or even reverse the graying process. 

While it may be some time before any practical applications of this research are developed, these findings represent an important step forward in our understanding of aging and offer hope to those who are frustrated by the appearance of Grey Hair.