突破!科學家終于發(fā)明了治療禿頭的辦法

There's a plethora of treatments for balding on the market. But what if you could regrow your own hair out of your own head by simply applying an ointment?

市面上治療禿頭的藥物多得數(shù)不勝數(shù)。不過說不定你現(xiàn)在可以通過擦一種藥膏就能夠輕松地讓自己的頭頂自己長出頭發(fā)喲。

In a paper that seems (almost) straight out of the plot of The Peanut Butter Solution, South Korean scientists describe a treatment for hair loss that doesn't just prevent hair loss - it promotes the growth of new follicles in hairless mice.

南韓科學家發(fā)表了一篇研究文章，稱他們研發(fā)的藥物不僅能預防脫發(fā)，還能讓無毛鼠身上生長出新的毛囊。這聽起來簡直和法國老電影《魔法》的劇情如出一轍!

Led by professor Choi Kang-yeol of Yonsei University, a team of researchers discovered a protein responsible for hair loss in androgenetic alopecia, also known as pattern baldness - the most common type of hair loss in both men and women.

這支研究隊伍由韓國延世大學的Choi Kang-yeol教授領隊，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)了激素性脫發(fā)中起決定性作用的一種蛋白質——這種脫發(fā)也稱為斑禿，是男女患者身上最為常見的脫發(fā)類型。

"We have found a protein that controls the hair growth and developed a new substance that promotes hair regeneration by controlling the function of the protein," Kang-yeol said.

Kang-yeol教授稱，“我們發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種控制頭發(fā)生長的蛋白質，并且研發(fā)出了一種物質，能夠控制這種蛋白質的作用，從而促進毛發(fā)再生。”

"We expect that the newly developed substance will contribute to the development of a drug that not only treats hair loss but also regenerate damaged skin tissues."

“我們希望這種新研發(fā)的物質能夠幫助人們研發(fā)出新的藥物，通過這種藥物人們不僅能治療脫發(fā)，還能讓受損的皮膚組織再生。”

The offender seems to be CXXC-type zinc finger protein 5 (CXXC5), which acts as a negative regulator on the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which is linked to hair regeneration and wound healing.

他們發(fā)現(xiàn)的這種蛋白質是cxxc型鋅指蛋白5，它會對Wnt/β環(huán)形蛋白起到抑制作用，而后者與頭發(fā)再生和傷口愈合有密切關系。

When CXXC5 binds with a protein called the Dishevelled protein, it prevents follicle development and hair regrowth.

當cxxc型鋅指蛋白5與散亂蛋白相結合，就會抑制毛囊生長和頭發(fā)再生。

A new biomaterial developed by the team interferes with this binding process. It's called PTD-DBM, and when applied to the bare skin of bald mice for 28 days, new follicles developed.

這支研究團隊研制出的一種新型生物制劑能阻止這一結合過程。它被稱為PTD-DBM，研究者在禿毛鼠赤裸的皮膚上涂上這種制劑，28天后，新的毛囊生長出來了。

A 2013 paper found that, in humans, a treatment for androgenetic alopecia was significantly more effective when accompanied by microneedling - rolling very fine needles over the skin to puncture it.

2013年曾有論文指出，在人類身上激素類脫發(fā)的治療與微針療法相結合后能起到事半功倍的效果，即用非常微小的細針在皮膚上滾動針灸。

It may be some time before the treatment becomes readily available, however. A 2015 study showed promise for using stem cells to promote the growth of follicles, but still seems to be some way off.

不過，要等到這一療法確實可行還需時日。一份2015年的研究肯定了用干細胞促進干細胞生長的可行性，但是時機尚未成熟。

New treatments often take time to develop, not least because they need to go through clinical trials to determine their safety - and, as we know, using mousemodels to study how well things might respond in humans doesn't always work.

新療法往往需要時間才能完善起來，不僅因為他們需要通過臨床試驗的驗證以檢驗其安全性，同時，正如我們所知道的，在小白鼠身上研究某種制劑在人類身上的反應，這種做法并不是屢試不爽。

Nevertheless, the team's research is progressing apace. They're currently testing their new substance on animals to determine whether it's toxic, before proceeding to human trials.

不過，這支研究隊伍的研究成果正在大步邁進。目前他們正在動物身上試驗他們的新制劑，想看看它是否具有毒性，最后他們會在人類身上進行試驗。