Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology (한국해양바이오학회지)

The Korean Society for Marine Biotechnology (한국해양바이오학회)
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Hair growth promoting effect of Spirulina maxima extract on human dermal papilla cells via modulation of mTOR/Akt and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways

인간 모유두세포에서 스피룰리나 추출물의 mTOR/Akt와 Wnt/β-catenin 경로 조절을 통한 모발 성장 촉진 효과

  • Seung Tae Im (Research Group of Process Engineering, Korea Food Research Institute) ;
  • Seong-Young Heo (Jeju Marine Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology) ;
  • Eun-A Kim (Jeju Marine Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology) ;
  • Nalae Kang (Jeju Marine Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology) ;
  • Soo-Jin Heo (Jeju Marine Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology) ;
  • Seung-Hong Lee (Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Soonchunhyang University)
  • 임승태 (한국식품연구원 가공공정연구단) ;
  • 허성영 (한국해양과학기술원 제주바이오연구센터) ;
  • 김은아 (한국해양과학기술원 제주바이오연구센터) ;
  • 강나래 (한국해양과학기술원 제주바이오연구센터) ;
  • 허수진 (한국해양과학기술원 제주바이오연구센터) ;
  • 이승홍 (순천향대학교 의약공학과)
  • Received : 2025.06.10
  • Accepted : 2025.06.30
  • Published : 2025.06.30
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Abstract

Hair loss is a common condition influenced by various physiological and environmental factors, including oxidative stress, inflammation, and hormonal dysregulation in hair follicle cells. In this study, we investigated the hair growth promoting effects of Spirulina maxima extract on human dermal papilla cells (HDPCs) and elucidated the underlying mechanisms focusing on mTOR/Akt and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways. The results demonstrated that S. maxima extract significantly enhanced the proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of HDPCs. Moreover, the extract increased both the expression levels of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), β-catenin, Cyclin D1, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and the phosphorylation levels of protein kinase B (Akt) and glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), which are crucial for hair follicle development and regeneration. These findings suggest that S. maxima extract can promote hair growth by modulating mTOR/Akt and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways, indicating the potential application of S. maxima as a marine-derived natural resource for hair loss therapeutic agents.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

이 논문은 2024학년도 순천향대학교 교수 연구년제에 의하여 연구하였음.

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