A new research offers a sigh of relief to patients who just hate their graying hair. During an experiment involving adipose-derived autologous mesenchymal stem cells, researchers accidentally discovered that it they can help reverse the signs of graying hair.
Aging results in occurrence of a number of neurodegenerative diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells, on the other hand, are believed to be a promising therapy for the treatment of neurological regeneration.
During the latest clinical trial, a team of researchers was testing the effectiveness of mesenchymal stem cells for treatment of several age-related neurodegenerative disorders. The team implanted the stem cells in a group of 14 patients aged between 30 and 75, including four subjects who had completely gray hair.
The stem cell implantation showed a remarkable improvement in the neurological status of all the subjects. There were notable side effects, except for the occurrence of transient headache.
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However, the researchers made an unusual discovery during the trial. The team accidentally observed reversal of hair color from gray to black in all the four elderly patients who had completely gray hair. The transition took place after 3 to 6 weeks of stem cell implantation. The reversal of graying hair was observed for both scalp and hair in the beard.
The four subjects were followed for a period of 20 months. During the follow-up, researchers found that the effect was not permanent. However, all of the subjects continued to have some black hair, which were lower in density and number.
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“This generates an interesting hypothesis, that mesenchymal stem cells play an important role in melanin regulating pathways, biosynthesis and transport into the hair follicular bulb. The cellular and molecular pathways remain a subject of future research,” the researchers concluded in the study.
The research team believes that their study findings might indicate a possible treatment for people who suffer from premature graying of hair. However, further research needs to be conducted to understand more about the pathway.
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Read more: http://www.healthaim.com/stem-cell-transplant-stop-gray-hair-new-technique/37255#ixzz3xmzKqdmI