Category Archives: Latanoprost

PGE2, Dermaliq Therapeutics, Latanoprost, PGF2a, Prostaglandin E2, Prostaglandin F2α

Increasing PGE2 and PGF2α for Hair Growth

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I originally wrote this post in 2020 and covered the hair growth effects of increasing prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α). Not to be confused with decreasing prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) for more hair.

Update: December 14, 2022

Dermaliq Therapeutics: Prostaglandin F2α Analogue Clinical Trials

Earlier today, Dermaliq Therapeutics (US) announced that it has begun Phase 1b/2a clinical trials for its DLQ01 solution (h/t “Nick”). This product is a topical Prostaglandin F2α analogue (thought to contain latanoprost) that will be used to grow hair in men with androgenetic alopecia (aka male pattern baldness). You can check out Dermaliq’s home page for its pipeline.

The DLQ01 topical formulation is based on hyliQ®, Dermaliq’s novel and proprietary platform technology. The trials will be conduced at Dr. Rodney Sinclair’s cliinic in Australia and will last for six months. Dr. Sinclair is currently also conducting trials for Hope Medicine’s HMI-115 prolactin blocker. Make sure to read that post for one trial volunteer’s biweekly updates.

According to Dr. Betsy Hughes-Formella (Chief Scientific Officer at Dermaliq):

“Dermaliq’s hyliQ® technology has the potential to transform follicular and dermal delivery of a broad range of active ingredients. DLQ01 is just the start of a promising pipeline targeting follicular delivery.”

June 27, 2020

In a number of past posts, I have discussed how hair loss is impacted by prostaglandins (lipids). Most of my focus has been on how a reduction in prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) levels benefits hair growth. In this post, I will discuss how an increase in levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and PGF2a (PGF2α) leads to hair growth.

PGE2, PGF2α and Hair Growth.
Increase PGE2 and PGF2α for hair growth. Reduce PGD2.

It has also been hypothesized that the balance between PGE2 and PGD2 levels controls hair growth. Increased levels of PGD2 and reduced levels of PGE2 have been observed in the scalps of men suffering from androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Also of note, PGE2 is known to act synergistically with PGF2 alpha

PGE2 and Hair Growth

PGE2 (also known as dinoprostone) is a naturally occurring prostaglandin that is also known to interact with Wnt signaling. A number of studies have shown that increasing PGE2 levels on the scalp can benefit hair growth.

An interesting 2019 study found that one of the ways in which skin and tissue injury can sometimes lead to hair growth is via an increase in PGE2.

A 2018 case report from Spain found that the drug Omeprazole induced hypertrichosis (excessive body hair) in two children. This side effect resulted from a significant increase in prostaglandin E2 levels. Once Omeprazole therapy was stopped, the excess body hair entirely disappeared after six months.

One of the ways in which Minoxidil works to grow hair is via increasing PGE2 levels.

Dexamethasone and Sulfasalazine can both increase prostaglandin E2 levels significantly.

Natural products such as castor oil are thought to raise PGE2 levels, and potentially benefit hair growth. Even if true, such gains will be modest at best in my opinion.

PGF2α (aka PGF2a) and Hair Growth

PGF2α acts by binding to the prostaglandin F2α receptor. When injected into the body or amniotic sac, PGF2α can either induce labor or cause an abortion in a pregnant woman. PGF2a levels are higher in people with non-balding scalps.

In the past, I have written in detail about the glaucoma drug Bimatoprost. This drug is an analog of prostamide F2a, which is almost the same as prostaglandin F2a. Bimatoprost raises both PGF2a and PGE2 levels, and is therefore the key ingredient in eyelash hair growth drug Latisse.

Another analogue of prostaglandin F2a is the well known drug Latanaprost. It prolongs the anagen phase of the hair cycle via the prostaglandin effect.

Another glaucoma and high eye pressure relief drug named Travoprost has a patent related to its scalp hair growth properties. Travaprost raises both PGF2α and PGE2 levels on the scalp when applied topically.

The only other major PGF2a analogue pharmaceutical on the market is called Carboprost.

Aneira Pharma, Cyclosporine, Latanoprost, Travoprost, Valkyrie Group

Aneira Pharma gets $25 million from Valkyrie Group

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A new hair loss company named Aneira Pharma has come to my attention thanks to reader “James”.

Aneira PharmaSeveral days ago, it was announced that Valkyrie Group will invest $25 million in Aneira Pharma. This is a substantial amount of money to invest in a hair loss startup. For comparison, RIKEN is only asking for $4.8 million and has already been conducting hair loss research for several decades.

Update: Valkyrie’s CEO answered some questions in the comments.

Valkyrie’s news page also has this story. The before and after photos on Aneira’s site are very impressive for a topical hair loss product. Besides increased hair growth, the topical also darkens hair. The current name for this product is ANR-001. Aneira has yet to start Phase 1 clinical trials in humans. However, based on the likely already-in-use ingredients in its hair loss product, I am hoping that future trials can proceed fast.

Aneira Pharma’s Hair Loss Patent

One of the members of our hair loss chat found the likely patent behind Aneira Pharma’s hair loss product. The inventor, John Wurst, is also Aneira’s founder, president and CEO. The patent was published in February 2021.

Among the extensive list of ingredients listed in the patent, the most frequently mentioned ones that will likely be in the product include:

  • Prostaglandin analogues, with Latanoprost being a certainty. Also possibly included will be Travoprost. Make sure to see my past posts on Bimatoprost, which caused a lot of excitement in the hair loss world a few years ago. Latanoprost and Travoprost are examples of prostaglandin F2α analogs. Bimatoprost is a prostamide F2α analog. All three of these products are used to treat glaucoma and reduce pressure in the eye. Bimatoprost (via the brand Latisse) has also been widely used in the cosmetic world to make eyelashes grow longer. Interestingly, John Wurst served as lead patent attorney for Latisse and other hair growth products in the past.
Latanoprost for Hair Growth
Latanoprost for hair loss presentation at the EHRS Conference in 2018.
  • Cyclosporine. See my past posts on Cyclosporine as well as on WAY-316606. A company named Rivertown Therapeutics was also using Cyclosporine in its hair loss product, but ended up shutting down last year.
  • Minoxidil. See my post on how Minoxidil works to treat hair loss. As of 2021, Minoxidil is still one of only two drugs ever approved by the US FDA to treat male and female pattern hair loss. With the other being Finasteride.

Interestingly, Aneira’s product will also increase the hair’s melanin content.

The word “Finasteride” also makes a number of appearances in the earlier mentioned patent. I hope they add topical finasteride into the mix too.