ArticleThe British journal of dermatology2021
New effects of caffeine on corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-induced stress along the intrafollicular classical hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (CRH-R1/2, IP
Article in The British journal of dermatology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effects of caffeine and adenosine on the microbiome and lipidome of the scalp.International journal of cosmetic science · 2025Trial
- An extract of Leontopodium alpinum inhibits catagen development ex vivo and increases hair density in vivo.International journal of cosmetic science · 2022Trial
- Development and validation of a comprehensive in vitro organ model for androgenetic alopecia.BMC biotechnology · 2026Article
- Neuro-immune Crosstalk in Atopic Dermatitis: A Multiaxial Regulatory Network and Novel Therapeutic Perspectives.Clinical reviews in allergy & immunology · 2026Review
- Lifestyle factors affecting the pathogenesis of androgenetic alopecia: a literature review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- A Novel, Drinkable Food Supplement Formulation Reduces Hair Shedding and Increases the Percentage of Anagen Scalp Hair Follicles in Females with Hair Loss.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Mendelian Randomisation Analysis of Dietary Exposures and Potential Risks of Anxiety and Depression.Actas espanolas de psiquiatria · 2025Article
- Neuro-immuno-endocrinology of the skin: how environment regulates body homeostasis.Nature reviews. Endocrinology · 2025Review
- The biological functions of ginsenoside and its applications in animal husbandry.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2025Review
- Article
- The Hormonal Background of Hair Loss in Non-Scarring Alopecias.Biomedicines · 2024Review
- Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and psychodermatology.Skin health and disease · 2023Review
- Bibliometric Study of Adaptogens in Dermatology: Pharmacophylogeny, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Mechanisms.Drug design, development and therapy · 2023Review
- Neuroendocrine signaling in the skin with a special focus on the epidermal neuropeptides.American journal of physiology. Cell physiology · 2022Review
- Anxiety and Depression: What Do We Know of Neuropeptides?Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Bioengineered Skin Intended as In Vitro Model for Pharmacosmetics, Skin Disease Study and Environmental Skin Impact Analysis.Biomedicines · 2020Review
- Caffeine in Skincare: Its Role in Skin Cancer, Sun Protection, and Cosmetics.Indian journal of dermatologyArticle
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHuman hair is highly responsive to stress, and human scalp hair follicles (HFs) contain a peripheral neuroendocrine equivalent of the systemic hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress axis. Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is supposed to be aggravated by stress. We used corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which triggers the HPA axis, to induce a stress response in human ex vivo male AGA HFs. Caffeine is known to reverse testosterone-mediated hair growth inhibition in the same hair organ culture model.
objectivesTo investigate whether caffeine would antagonize CRH-mediated stress in these HFs.
methodsHFs from balding vertex area scalp biopsies of men affected by AGA were incubated with CRH (10
resultsCompared to controls, CRH significantly enhanced the expression of catagen-inducing transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2) (P < 0·001), CRH receptors 1 and 2 (CRH-R1/2) (P < 0·01), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) (P < 0·001) and melanocortin receptor 2 (MC-R2) (P < 0·001), and additional stress-associated parameters, substance P and p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75
conclusionsThese findings provide the first evidence in ex vivo human AGA HFs that the stress mediator CRH induces not only a complex intrafollicular HPA response, but also a non-HPA-related stress response. Moreover, we show that these effects can be effectively antagonized by caffeine. Thus, these data strongly support the hypothesis that stress can impair human hair physiology and induce hair loss, and that caffeine may effectively counteract stress-induced hair damage and possibly prevent stress-induced hair loss.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.