In vivo and in vitro evaluation of hair growth potential of Cacumen Platycladi, and GC-MS analysis of the active constituents of volatile oil

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Cacumen Platycladi (CP) is the leaves of Platycladus orientalis which has been traditionally used to resist alopecia and promote hair growth. However, no study has been reported on the effects of CP on proliferation of dermal papilla cells (DPCs). And there is also no complete and systematic research on hair re-growth efficacies of CP. Aim of the study: To evaluate the hair-growth activity of their extracts on the proliferation of DPCs and the promotion of hair reproduction in C57BL/6 mice. Materials and methods: For the DPCs, different extract fractions of CP were investigated. The hair growth effect of CP volatile oil on C57BL/6 mice was evaluated for 28 days. Meanwhile, the chemical constituents of the volatile oil from Cacumen Platycladi were isolated and identified by GC-MS. Results: The study showed that the extracts of CP could promote the proliferation of DPCs, and the activity of volatile oil was the best. CP volatile oil (100 mu g/mL) resulted in stronger proliferation of DPCs by 239.8% compared with control (100%) and minoxidil (130.3%) during the 48 h incubation. And no obvious cytotoxic activity was observed when volatile oil was dosed up to 500 mu g/mL. At different growth stages, mice treated with 0.2 g/kg CP volatile oil required shorter time than 2% minoxidil. Hair length for 0.2 g/kg CP volatile oil treated group was longer than those of minoxidil and control. Further histological observation indicated that CP volatile oil could prolonged the anagen phase of hair follicles. Moreover, thirty four components, with contents of 81.9% of the total volatile oils, were separaed and identified, Conclusion: The CP volatile oil may have the potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of alopecia.