Detangle electric comb hair regrowth mice study, Digi Mart USA News: Researchers in China have tested an experimental device, dubbed Detangle, designed to treat androgenetic alopecia, the progressive pattern of hair loss that affects men and women. The study was led by scientists from Beihang University and published in Nature Communications.
The device uses an alternating series of electrodes and reservoirs that dispense therapeutic molecules through a mechanism resembling a ballpoint pen. The electrodes are positioned at different heights to make the skin furrow while delivering charged pulses that help move the drug into deeper tissue and inside cells.
The electrical stimulation is also described as encouraging pathways involved in hair growth.
For the experiment, the reservoirs were loaded with two genetic treatments: a small ring of DNA carrying instructions for a protein that promotes blood vessel formation, and a short segment of RNA that interferes with the creation of an enzyme involved in dihydrotestosterone (DHT) production. Male mice with back fur removed were given daily testosterone applications to create a model of androgen-related hair loss.
In the study, Detangle was used every three days and came close to returning hair coverage by day 28, compared with roughly 70 percent return in mice given a daily topical dose of minoxidil. Tissue analyses also reported improvements in follicle activity and local circulation, and the researchers said the treatment appeared safe in the test animals.
Human tolerability, lasting benefits and the demands of repeated treatment remain open questions, as the device has not yet been tested on people. The publisher article notes that the research is at an experimental stage and that the findings come from mouse studies.
