Figure 1. Histological and gross appearance of skin from control and thymosin ß4-treated rats and mice after depilation-induced hair growth in C57BL/6 mice. Hair growth in normal rats and mice. Animals (3–5/group) were treated on one side with vehicle and on the other side with thymosin ß4; for the mouse studies (2/group), mice were used for treatment and control. All sections were stained with Masson’s trichrome. Microphotographs of the rat and mouse histological sections were made at x32 and x66, respectively. a) Control vehicle-treated rat skin after 7 days. b) Control vehicle-treated mouse skin after 28 days. c) Gross appearance of control vehicle-treated mouse skin after 28 days. d) Rat skin after 7 days of thymosin ß4 treatment. e) Mouse skin after 28 days of thymosin ß4 treatment. f) Gross appearance of mice after 28 days of thymosin ß4 treatment.

"A specific subset of hair follicular keratinocytes in mouse skin expresses thymosin beta4 in a highly coordinated manner during the hair growth cycle. These keratinocytes originate in the hair follicle bulge region, a niche for skin stem cells."
The bulge region is the same location were Hh pathway is activated to promote hair growth

'Thus, thymosin beta4 accelerates hair growth, in part, due to its effect on critical events in the active phase of the hair follicle cycle, including promoting the migration of stem cells and their immediate progeny to the base of the follicle, differentiation, and extracellular matrix remodeling."
Very similar to Hh pathway.

http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/full/18/2/385

Over all this study is close and seems like it reasonable good results. It is also funny that TB4 also promotes wound healing like the hedgehog pathway does.

I was to look at curis paper and this other paper which I don't think was published by a company there are a few differences such as looking at side effects, long term side effects, and also looking into the human scalp and see if TB4 is expressed during the growth phase.

Hi hedgehog, in fact i didnt have frequent sunburns until last summer. Then i started to wash my head with a soap which is nice for hairgrowth, but it dried my forehead and scalpskin alot, also i was using minoxidil too, so when i was getting tan, suddenly i had some sunburns near to my hair. After my holiday i stopped using minoxidil and wounds quickly healed, now there are only traces of wounds and theres no problem with my sunburns, if i dont use minoxidil, coz when i use minoxidil, my sunburns gets wounding.

So u think that hehgehog agonist doesnt cause skin cancer, when u use it on temple with a sunburn?

Anyway tb4 drugs will release in 1 or 2 years, i think it would be a hope for balding people........

untd77

Hi untd77,

Hh agonist will cause like BCC like growth with you have chronic exposure to a Hh agonist. If you are in the sun a lot that can cause genetic damage to your cells which in turn causes BCC.

I don't think a sun burn and Hh agonist will be a problem, because the Hh agonist will be applied by a doctor in his office. Before you leave he will wash off the cream. P&G will be the ones that make decided who will be candidates for the Hh agonist treatment.

"Anyway tb4 drugs will release in 1 or 2 years, i think it would be a hope for balding people........ " Does this mean the start of clinical trials or for the general public? Have they noted any side effects? How about results for wound healing?

Hi hedgehog, if Hh agonist will be applied by a doctor, then i think it would be uncomfortable. Our immunesystem attacks to hair follicles so we need to go to doctor everyday.

İ know 3 companies researching and preparing tb4 drugs. 1- Regenerx - (phase2) 2- Lee's Pharm - Theres no information about clinical trials, but they replied my mail and told that it will be in market end of 2006 3- Panacea - Theres no information

I didnt hear any side effect of tb4, but before i have seen your website i didnt hear any side effect of hedgehog agonist too. Spk to u later....

http://www.regenerx.com/wt/home/index

http://www.leespharm.com/

http://www.panacea-biotec.com/

untd77

And if it gets FDA approval, do you foresee this being a cure for frontal recession as well? Could we stop using minoxidil? When is a release expected?

Thanks

Very interesting. If only more information was available.

If tb4 is approved by the FDA in one or two years could it be used for hair loss?