PROANTHOCYANIDINS FROM GRAPE SEEDS PROMOTE PROLIFERATION OF MOUSE HAIR FOLLICLE CELLS IN-VITRO AND CONVERT HAIR CYCLE IN-VIVO

For the purpose of discovering natural products which possess hair gro wing activity, we examined about 1000 kinds of plant extracts concerni ng growth-promoting activity with respect to hair follicle cells. Afte r an extensive search, we discovered that proanthocyanidins extracted from grape seeds promote proliferation of hair follicle cells isolated from mice by about 230% relative to controls (100%); and that proanth ocyanidins possess remarkable hair-cycle-converting activity from the telogen phase to the anagen phase in C3H mice in who test systems. The profile of the active fraction of the proanthocyanidins was elucidate d by thiolytic degradation and tannase hydrolysis. We found that the c onstitutive monomers mere epicatechin and catechin; and that the degre e of polymerization was 3.5. We demonstrated the possibility of using the proanthocyanidins extracted from grape seeds as agents inducing ha ir growth.