Some more than others, but in general, the majority of human beings have hair in areas of the body such as head, legs or arms . However, in others, such as the palm of the hands or the soles of the feet, no hair is born, without distinction of bad, age or tendency to hairiness of the individual. Why?

This is a question that many scientists have asked and which now brings together a team of researchers from the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania with the aim of applying this knowledge to the treatment of alopecia or the restoration of hair growth in scars of burns and large wounds . Moreover, their results, published today in Cell Reports explain why some animals, such as the rabbit have hairs on areas of the body where ] other rodents such as mice, No.

Inhibiting more "hairy" signaling

The gene coding for a pathway inhibitor is expressed on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet Signaling involved in the development of follicles

These researchers focused their study on the signaling pathway WNT known to play a vital role in the development of hair follicles and the growth thereof. hair . It is clear that, under normal conditions, this path works perfectly in areas of the body such as the legs or the arms, but not in others, like the palms of the hands .

as described by these scientists in their study, is in a protein inhibiting said pathway, called Dickkopf 2 ( DDK2 ) . They verified that we found the gene coding for the said protein highly expressed in the plantar skin of mice in which, as in the soles of the feet of the human, no hair grows . However, if inactivated hair begins to develop as in the rest of the body. This shows that the WNT path is also present in these regions but is paralyzed by the action of DDK2 .

Finally, they found that in rabbits this gene is not expressed hence its plantar skin, like that of polar bears, has hair . This shows that, throughout the evolution, this path followed different paths according to specific needs of each species of animal.

Beyond Curiosity

All this brings an answer to a curious question that we have been asking for a long time, but the goal of this team of scientists goes much further.

Hair follicles are known to develop in Human fetuses but stop production after birth . Therefore, when a large burn or wound heals, the new skin is hairless . In search of a solution to this problem, it was proposed to check whether it is DDK2 which is involved in the paralysis of the development of hair follicles; since, in this case, it could be reactivated in these particular cases to favor new hairy skin.

But, above all, the biggest concern about lack of hair is that of people with alopecia. According to data from the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV), 40% of men aged 18 to 39 years suffer from androgenic alopecia . In addition, the percentage reached 95% among men of over 70 years of age .

Although it does not badume health problems, it is often accompanied by a great dissatisfaction with the physical appearance many scientists are trying to find a solution. Previous studies have revealed that DKK2 was a potential candidate at the onset of this progressive hair loss, so these researchers also intend to center next steps in their work on their badysis. Without a doubt, if they manage to reach a good port, many people will be satisfied with their discoveries.

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