A Randomized Study of Biomimetic Peptides Efficacy and Impact on the Growth Factors Expression in the Hair Follicles of Patients with Telogen Effluvium

Currently, biomimetic peptides have been developed to treat alopecia, which consists of amino acid residues and are able to selectively interact with cell receptors. This article studies the expression of growth factors (VEGF, KGF, EGF, TGF-β1) in the hair follicle of patients with telogen effluvium and healthy individuals and evaluating the efficacy of therapy with biomimetic peptides in patients with telogen effluvium based on clinical data and the dynamics. The method of immunofluorescence study of scalp specimens, which is taken by the punch biopsy from the frontotemporal areas before and after the therapy, was used. 30 female patients with telogen effluvium aged between 20 and 56 years old were recruited for the research and randomly divided into two groups. Patients of group I were treated with lotion based on biomimetic peptides and those of group II were treated with 0.9% saline. The therapeutic efficacy of biomimetic peptides in women with telogen effluvium was assessed by trichoscopy and phototrichography. A change in the expression of VEGF, KGF, TGF-β1 growth factors was found in women with telogen effluvium as opposed to the healthy ones. After the therapy, a significant increase in the VEGF, EGF expression and a decrease in KGF and TGF-β1 expression were noted. The study proved the effectiveness of the proposed method of therapy for women with telogenic effluvium. The research findings can be useful to dermatologists and cosmetologists for increasing the effectiveness of therapy for patients with telogenic effluvium. Also, the data obtained in the article open up the prospect for the further study of the pathogenetic mechanisms of telogenic effluvium and provide an opportunity for an innovative approach to the therapy of patients with telogenic effluvium.