Hair turns grey as we age because the melanocyte stem cells, which produce hair pigment and give hair its color, gradually lose their ability to replenish
Ever wondered about the possibility of your hair not greying even as you age? Well, the prospect may not be far off if ongoing research into the greying of hair gets its way.
Researchers, for now, have discovered why hair turns grey: As we age, the pigment-producing cells in our hair called melanocyte stem cells, which give our hair its color, gradually lose their ability to replenish.
However, researchers from New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine have claimed that this greying of hair may be reversed by restoring the motility of these cells.
Hair-coloring stem cells (at left, in pink) need to be in the hair germ compartment in order to be activated (at right) to develop into pigment. IMAGE: SPRINGER-NATURE PUBLISHING
The study which was published in the journal Nature found that as hair ages, melanocyte stem cells get stuck in the stem cell compartment of the hair follicle, preventing them from maturing into pigment cells. But if these cells are made to move again between developing hair follicle compartments, it could potentially prevent or reverse grey hair, the study suggest.
“Our study adds to our basic understanding of how melanocyte stem cells work to color hair,” said the lead investigator, Qi Sun, a postdoctoral fellow at NYU Langone Health. “It presents a potential pathway for reversing or preventing the greying of human hair by helping jammed cells to move again between developing hair follicle compartments.”
Senior investigator of the study, Mayumi Ito added: “It is the loss of chameleon-like function in melanocyte stem cells that may be responsible for greying and loss of hair color.”
The researchers found these cells in mice, but they believe their findings could apply to humans as well. They plan to investigate means of restoring motility of melanocyte stem cells or physically moving them back to their germ compartment where they can produce pigment.
While it’s still early days and more research is needed, this study opens up the possibility of finding ways to prevent or reverse grey hair.
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