Hair AND Biotin

Metabolism by the gut microbiota affects host physiology beyond the gastrointestinal tract. Here, we find that antibiotic-induced dysbiosis, in particular, overgrowth of Lactobacillus murinus (L. murinus), impaired gut metabolic function and led to the development of alopecia. While deprivation of dietary biotin per se did not affect skin physiology, its simultaneous treatment with vancomycin resulted in hair loss in specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice. Vancomycin treatment induced the accumulation of L. murinus in the gut, which consumes residual biotin and depletes available biotin in the gut...

BACKGROUND: Premature canities is a common yet unfathomed disorder. The evidence for the role of micronutrient deficiency in premature canities is not well established. AIM: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the micronutrient levels in Indian patients with premature canities as compared to controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a case-control study in 52 self-reporting patients with premature canities (<20 years age). Micronutrient levels including serum Vitamin B12, biotin, and folic acid were assessed and compared among the patients and controls...

<p>Biotin, also known as Vitamin B7 or vitamin H, is a water-soluble B vitamin that acts as an essential cofactor for several carboxylases involved in the cellular metabolism of fatty acids, amino acids, and gluconeogenesis. Although there exists an incredible amount of social media hype and market advertising touting its efficacy for the improvement of hair quantity and quality, biotin's efficacy for hair remains largely unsubstantiated in scientific literature. We reviewed all pertinent scientific literature regarding the efficacy of biotin supplementation for hair growth and quality improvement, and we also investigated its popularity in society defined as a function of market analytics...

Functionalized nanoparticles have seen valuable applications, particularly in the delivery of therapeutic and diagnostic agents in biological systems. However, the manufacturing of such nano-scale systems with the consistency required for biological application can be challenging, as variation in size and shape have large influences in nanoparticle behavior in vivo. We report on the development of a versatile nano-scaffold based on the modular functionalization of a DNA G-quadruplex. DNA sequences are functionalized in a modular fashion using well-established phosphoramidite chemical synthesis with nucleotides containing modification of the amino (N2) position of the guanine base...

A flexible and miniaturized metal semiconductor metal (MSM) biomolecular photodetector was developed as the core photocurrent system through chemiluminescence for hydrogen peroxide sensing. The flexible photocurrent sensing system was manufactured on a 30-µm-thick crystalline silicon chip by chemical etching process, which produced a flexible silicon chip. A surface texturization design on the flexible device enhanced the light-trapping effect and minimized reflectivity losses from the incident light. The model protein streptavidin bound to horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was successfully immobilized onto the sensor surface through high-affinity conjugation with biotin...

Biotin is a coenzyme for carboxylase enzymes that assist various metabolic reactions involved in fatty acid synthesis, branched-chain amino acid catabolism, and gluconeogenesis important for maintenance of healthy skin and hair. Due to its availability, affordability, and effective marketing for this purpose, biotin is a popular nutritional supplement for treatment of hair loss. However, there are little data on the frequency of biotin deficiency in patients complaining of hair loss and on the value of oral biotin for treatment of hair loss that is not due to an inborn error of biotin metabolism or deficiency...

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and its cognate receptor (GFRα-1) are expressed in normal human skin. They are involved in murine hair follicle morphogenesis and cycling control. We hypothesize that 'GDNF and GFRα-1 protein expression in human skin undergoes age-associated alterations. To test our hypothesis, the expression of these proteins was examined in human skin specimens obtained from 30 healthy individuals representing three age groups: children (5-18 years), adults (19-60 years) and the elderly (61-81 years)...

Sodium selenite is a trace element essential for many physiological functions in the body. It is involved in various biological processes; it acts as a cofactor for antioxidant enzymes that protect against free radicals and is reported to limit metal-mediated oxidative DNA damage. In the present study, we investigated the effect of sodium selenite on neomycin ototoxicity in wild-type and transgenic zebrafish (Brn3C: EGFP). Five or six days post-fertilization, zebrafish larvae were co-exposed to 125 μM neomycin and various concentrations (10 μM, 100 μM, 250 μM, and 500 μM) of sodium selenite for 1 h...

UNLABELLED: Disordered protein ubiquitination has been linked to neurodegenerative disease, yet its role in inner ear homeostasis and hearing loss is essentially unknown. Here we show that progressive hearing loss in the ethylnitrosourea-generated mambo mouse line is caused by a mutation in Usp53, a member of the deubiquitinating enzyme family. USP53 contains a catalytically inactive ubiquitin-specific protease domain and is expressed in cochlear hair cells and a subset of supporting cells...

Mechanotransduction by proprioceptive sensory organs is poorly understood. Evidence was recently shown that muscle spindle and hair follicle primary afferents (lanceolates) constantly release glutamate from synaptic-like vesicles (SLVs) within the terminals. The secreted glutamate activates a highly unusual metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) to modulate the firing rate (spindles) and SLV recycling (lanceolates). This receptor has yet to be isolated and sequenced. To further investigate this receptor's pharmacology, ligands selective for classical mGluRs have been recently characterised for their ability to alter stretch-evoked spindle firing and SLV endocytosis in these different endings...

Currently, topical minoxidil and finasteride are the only treatments that have been FDA approved for the treatment of female pattern hair loss and androgenetic alopecia. Given the incomplete efficacy and sife effect profile of these medications, some patients utilize alternative treatments to help improve this condition. In this review, we illustrate the scientific evidence underlying the efficacy of these alternative approaches, including biotin, caffeine, melatonin, a marine extract, and zinc.

OBJECTIVE: Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is known to reduce the generation of oxygen-derived free radicals, which is a major mechanism of aminoglycoside-induced ototoxicity. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of CAPE on neomycin-induced ototoxicity in zebrafish (Brn3c: EGFP). METHODS: Five-day post-fertilization zebrafish larvae (n=10) were exposed to 125 μM neomycin and one of the following CAPE concentrations for 1h: 50, 100, 250, 500, or 1000 μM...

Although the neuroanatomical distribution of catecholaminergic (CA) neurons has been well documented across all vertebrate classes, few studies have examined CA connectivity to physiologically and anatomically identified neural circuitry that controls behavior. The goal of this study was to characterize CA distribution in the brain and inner ear of the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) with particular emphasis on their relationship with anatomically labeled circuitry that both produces and encodes social acoustic signals in this species...

Activin B has been reported to promote the regeneration of hair follicles during wound healing. However, its role in the development and life cycle of hair follicles has not been elucidated. In our study, the effect of activin B on mouse hair follicles of cultured and neonatal mouse skin was investigated. In these models, PBS or activin B (5, 10 or 50 ng/ml) was applied, and hair follicle development was monitored. Hair follicle initiation and development was examined using hematoxylin and eosin staining, alkaline phosphatase activity staining, Oil Red O+ staining, and the detection of TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling cell apoptosis...

OBJECTIVES: Trimetazidine (TMZ) is known to reduce the generation of oxygen-derived free radicals. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of TMZ on neomycin-induced ototoxicity in transgenic zebrafish (Brn3C: EGFP). METHODS: Five-day, postfertilization zebrafish larvae were exposed to 125 µM neomycin and one of the following TMZ concentrations for 1 hour: 10 µM, 100 µM, 500 µM, 1,000 µM, 1,500 µM, or 2,000 µM. Hair cells within the neuromasts of the supraorbital (SO1 and SO2), otic (O1), and occipital (OC1) lateral lines were analyzed using fluorescence microscopy and confocal microscopy (n=10)...

OBJECTIVE: The clinical use of aminoglycoside antibiotics is limited in most countries because of auditory toxicity side effects. However, their use is common in developing countries because they are inexpensive and convenient. Salvia miltiorrhiza extracts are used clinically in China for their antioxidant properties. We investigated the effect of a clinically approved injectable S. miltiorrhiza solution on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) generation induced by the aminoglycoside antibiotic gentamicin and an ototoxicity protective mechanism...

NecroX-5, one of the derivatives of NecroX series compounds, is a mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species scavenger that inhibits cell death against various kinds of oxidative stresses. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of NecroX-5 on neomycin-induced ototoxicity in transgenic zebrafish (Brn3C: EGFP). Five days post-fertilization, zebrafish larvae were exposed to 125 μM neomycin and one of the following NecroX-5 concentrations for 1 h: 10, 25, 50, and 75 μM...

OBJECTIVE: Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that acts as a cofactor for several carboxylases. The ketogenic diet, a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, is used to treat drug-resistant epilepsy and promote weight loss. In Japan, the infant version of the ketogenic diet is known as the "ketone formula." However, as the special infant formulas used in Japan, including the ketone formula, do not contain sufficient amounts of biotin, biotin deficiency can develop in infants who consume the ketone formula...

This study reports the clinical, laboratory profile and outcome in seven patients with biotinidase deficiency. The serum biotinidase activity was assayed using spectrophotometric analysis. The age at presentation varied from day 1 of life to the 5 th month. Seizures were the presenting complaint in six patients and clonic seizures were the predominant seizure type. Sparse hair was seen in four patients, while three did not have any cutaneous manifestation. None of the patients had acidosis or hyperammonemia...

The two compositionally distinct extracellular cochlear fluids, endolymph and perilymph, are separated by tight junctions that outline the scala media and reticular lamina. Mutations in TRIC (also known as MARVELD2), which encodes a tricellular tight junction protein known as tricellulin, lead to nonsyndromic hearing loss (DFNB49). We generated a knockin mouse that carries a mutation orthologous to the TRIC coding mutation linked to DFNB49 hearing loss in humans. Tricellulin was absent from the tricellular junctions in the inner ear epithelia of the mutant animals, which developed rapidly progressing hearing loss accompanied by loss of mechanosensory cochlear hair cells, while the endocochlear potential and paracellular permeability of a biotin-based tracer in the stria vascularis were unaltered...