P12 HAIR-GROWING ACTIVITY OF PROCYANIDIN B-2

¹Kamimura A., ¹Takahashi T., ¹Yokoo Y., ²Honda S., ³Watanabe Y. ¹Tsukuba Research Laboratories, Kyowa Hakko Kogyo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan; ²Development Department, Kyowa Hakko Kogyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan; ³Watanabe Dermatological Clinic, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.

Procyanidin B-2 is a polyphenol compound which we have identified in apple, which acts on hair epithelial cells as a growth-promoting factor. We have previously reported that the growth-promoting effects on murine hair epithelial cells attributable to procyanidin B-2 reaches about 300% relative to controls and also clarified that procyanidin B-2 possesses intensive anagen-inducing activity in the C3H in vivo mouse model. This presentation describes our investigations during a 6-month clinical trial of highly purified 1% procyanidin B-2 isolated from commercial apple juice. The clinical trial was performed in double-blind fashion, involving a total of 29 subjects (procyanidin B-2, 19 men; placebo, 10 men) possessing male pattern baldness on the head. The test agent (about 1.8 ml per dose) was applied to the subjects affected scalp area twice a day, giving a daily dose of 35 mg of procyanidin B-2. The hair-growing effects were evaluated according to the following parameters: the change in the number of hairs in the designated scalp area recorded by macrophotography and the change in the diameter of hairs clipped from the designated scalp area after 4-month use and 6-month use. The analyses were performed in double-blind fashion. No side effects were observed in any subjects in either group. The increase in number of hairs and the diameter of hairs in the designated scalp area of procyanidin subjects was significantly greater than that observed in placebo subjects. Procyanidin B-2 therapy shows promise as a cure for male pattern baldness.