Fecal microbiota transplantation promotes hair growth through gut microbiome and metabolic regulation

Gut microbiota plays a role in the etiology of a number of skin illnesses. In this study, we aimed to determine the relationship between intestinal flora (and related metabolites) and Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA).

Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was used to explore the causal relationship between gut microbiota and AGA. Gut microbiota was detected by fecal 16S rRNA sequencing, and fecal metabolites were analyzed by non-targeted metabolomics. Senescence and inflammation levels in the colon and hair follicles of mice were detected by β-galactosidase assay kits and other staining methods. Hair growth was assessed by dermoscopy and hair growth scoring.

Mendelian randomization analysis revealed a significant correlation between Lactobacillaceae (OR = 0.981, 95 % CI: 0.969-0.992, p = 0.001) and Lactobacillus (OR = 0.985, 95 % CI: 0.973-0.997, p = 0.018) with AGA. A similar reduction in Lactobacillaceae and Lactobacillus was observed in the feces of AGA mice (p < 0.05). Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) increased Lactobacillaceae and Lactobacillus levels (p < 0.05), and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) reversed aging and inflammation in the gut and hair follicles, promoting hair growth.

There is an intestinal-skin axis regulation pattern in the pathological process of AGA, and the aging of intestinal tissues and the alteration of bacterial flora and related metabolites can affect hair follicle aging and inflammation.