Chronic Restraint Stress Inhibits Hair Growth via Substance P Mediated by Reactive Oxygen Species in Mice.

PLoS One. 2013 Apr 26;8(4):e61574. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061574.
Chronic Restraint Stress Inhibits Hair Growth via Substance P Mediated by Reactive Oxygen Species in Mice.

Department of Clinical Psychology, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, P.R. China.

BACKGROUNDS:
Solid evidence has demonstrated that psychoemotional stress induced alteration of hair cycle through neuropeptide substance P (SP) mediated immune response, the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in brain-skin-axis regulation system remains unknown.
OBJECTIVES:
The present study aims to investigate possible mechanisms of ROS in regulation of SP-mast cell signal pathway in chronic restraint stress (CRS, a model of chronic psychoemotional stress) which induced abnormal of hair cycle.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
Our results have demonstrated that CRS actually altered hair cycle by inhibiting hair follicle growth in vivo, prolonging the telogen stage and delaying subsequent anagen and catagen stage. Up-regulation of SP protein expression in cutaneous peripheral nerve fibers and activation of mast cell were observed accompanied with increase of lipid peroxidation levels and reduction of the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in CRS mice skin. In addition, SP receptor antagonist (RP67580) reduced mast cell activations and lipid peroxidation levels as well as increased GSH-Px activity and normalized hair cycle. Furthermore, antioxidant Tempol (a free radical scavenger) also restored hair cycle, reduced SP protein expression and mast cell activation.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our study provides the first solid evidence for how ROS play a role in regulation of psychoemotional stress induced SP-Mast cell pathway which may provide a convincing rationale for antioxidant application in clinical treatment with psychological stress induced hair loss.

Full Study:

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0061574

What an awesome thing it is when science is able to validate something we've thought intuitively for a long time. This really is a big one. Thanks for posting CS.

I echo what anthonyspencer said. Much thanks CS.

What does this mean in english I am out of the loops with a lot of those terms?

Great post just verifying what we assume.

For those of us with stress related disorders (constant stress) what do you feel is a good option? (ashwaganda, exercise etc.) ?

Ashwagandha is one option.

Indian J Psychol Med. 2012 Jul;34(3):255-62. doi: 10.4103/0253-7176.106022.
A prospective, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of safety and efficacy of a high-concentration full-spectrum extract of ashwagandha root in reducing stress and anxiety in adults.
Chandrasekhar K, Kapoor J, Anishetty S.

Department of Neuropsychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry, Asha Hospital, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.

CONTEXT:
Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension, which can lead to underperformance and adverse clinical conditions. Adaptogens are herbs that help in combating stress. Ayurvedic classical texts, animal studies and clinical studies describe Ashwagandha as a safe and effective adaptogen.
AIMS:
The aim of the study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a high-concentration full-spectrum extract of Ashwagandha roots in reducing stress and anxiety and in improving the general well-being of adults who were under stress.
SETTINGS AND DESIGN:
Single center, prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
A total of 64 subjects with a history of chronic stress were enrolled into the study after performing relevant clinical examinations and laboratory tests. These included a measurement of serum cortisol, and assessing their scores on standard stress-assessment questionnaires. They were randomized to either the placebo control group or the study drug treatment group, and were asked to take one capsule twice a day for a period of 60 days. In the study drug treatment group, each capsule contained 300 mg of high-concentration full-spectrum extract from the root of the Ashwagandha plant. During the treatment period (on Day 15, Day 30 and Day 45), a follow-up telephone call was made to all subjects to check for treatment compliance and to note any adverse reactions. Final safety and efficacy assessments were done on Day 60.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS:
t-test, Mann-Whitney test.
RESULTS:
The treatment group that was given the high-concentration full-spectrum Ashwagandha root extract exhibited a significant reduction (P<0.0001) in scores on all the stress-assessment scales on Day 60, relative to the placebo group. The serum cortisol levels were substantially reduced (P=0.0006) in the Ashwagandha group, relative to the placebo group. The adverse effects were mild in nature and were comparable in both the groups. No serious adverse events were reported.
CONCLUSION:
The findings of this study suggest that a high-concentration full-spectrum Ashwagandha root extract safely and effectively improves an individual's resistance towards stress and thereby improves self-assessed quality of life.
KEYWORDS:
Adaptogen, Withania somnifera, high-concentration full-spectrum Ashwagandha root extract, stress

Full study:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3573577/

Magnesium deficiency is another factor.

Neuropharmacology. 2012 January; 62(1): 304–312.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.07.027

Magnesium deficiency induces anxiety and HPA axis dysregulation: Modulation by therapeutic drug treatment
S.B. Sartori, N. Whittle, A. Hetzenauer, and N. Singewald

Preclinical and some clinical studies suggest a relationship between perturbation in magnesium (Mg2+) homeostasis and pathological anxiety, although the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Since there is evidence that Mg2+ modulates the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, we tested whether enhanced anxiety-like behaviour can be reliably elicited by dietary Mg2+ deficiency and whether Mg2+ deficiency is associated with altered HPA axis function. Compared with controls, Mg2+ deficient mice did indeed display enhanced anxiety-related behaviour in a battery of established anxiety tests. The enhanced anxiety-related behaviour of Mg2+ deficient mice was sensitive to chronic desipramine treatment in the hyponeophagia test and to acute diazepam treatment in the open arm exposure test. Mg2+ deficiency caused an increase in the transcription of the corticotropin releasing hormone in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN), and elevated ACTH plasma levels, pointing to an enhanced set-point of the HPA axis. Chronic treatment with desipramine reversed the identified abnormalities of the stress axis. Functional mapping of neuronal activity using c-Fos revealed hyper-excitability in the PVN of anxious Mg2+ deficient mice and its normalisation through diazepam treatment. Overall, the present findings demonstrate the robustness and validity of the Mg2+ deficiency model as a mouse model of enhanced anxiety, showing sensitivity to treatment with anxiolytics and antidepressants. It is further suggested that dysregulations in the HPA axis may contribute to the hyper-emotionality in response to dietary induced hypomagnesaemia.

Thanks CS

Dosing Info

They were randomized to either the placebo control group or the study drug treatment group, and were asked to take one capsule twice a day for a period of 60 days. In the study drug treatment group, each capsule contained 300 mg of high-concentration full-spectrum extract from the root of the Ashwagandha plant.