The findings were published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature.
Scientists are reported to have discovered the reason why human hair loses color and turns gray with age new york post. According to a team of scientists, the melanocyte stem cells stay inside the hair follicle and are no longer able to produce pigment.
The findings were published Wednesday in a peer-reviewed scientific journal NatureFor this study, scientists tracked individual cells in the fur of mice for two years to identify how hair turns white and detailed melanocyte stem cells known to control hair color. They used special scanning and experimental techniques to study the cellular aging process.
They found that the pigment-producing portion of stem cells changed as mice matured. “Most humans and mice develop gray hair because the melanocyte stem cell system fails faster than other adult stem cell populations,” the study said.
As hair ages, sheds and regrows, melanocyte stem cells clog part of the hair follicle called the follicle bulge. Once the stem cells stop moving around the hair follicle and become anchored, they can no longer mature into full-fledged melanocytes. No pigment is produced, so the hair becomes gray, white, or silver.
“This is a huge step forward in understanding why we get gray hair,” said author Mayumi Ito, professor of research and dermatology at New York University Grossman School of Medicine.
“Loss of the chameleon-like function of melanocyte stem cells may be responsible for gray hair and hair color loss,” he explained.
The researchers also suggested that their findings, if applicable to humans, could open up potential ways to reverse or prevent gray hair.
“The newly discovered mechanism raises the possibility that the same fixed arrangement of melanocyte stem cells also exists in humans,” said Qi Sun, principal investigator of the study. It presents a potential pathway for reversing or preventing graying of human hair by helping to relocate between follicular compartments.
