Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A Combined with Platelet-Rich Plasma Promotes Hair Follicle Growth and Regeneration via STMN1 Modulation and Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway Activation

Abstract

There is currently limited knowledge about the combined effect of Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT/A) and Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on hair follicle growth and reconstruction. This study aimed to investigate the impact of BoNT/A in conjunction with PRP on hair follicles and explore its underlying mechanisms. The levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), plateletderived growth factor (PDGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and versican levels were assessed to determine their influence on hair follicle growth. Hair follicle quantification was performed, while β-catenin and Ki-67 expression levels were analyzed. The concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured as inflammatory biomarkers. Western blot analysis measured stathmin 1 (STMN1) expression and quantified key Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway components. The findings demonstrated that the conjunction of BoNT/A and PRP effectively enhanced hair follicle growth. It promoted the upregulation of ALP, FGF, PDGF, VEGF, and versican, increased hair follicle number, upregulated ALP levels, and enhanced the expression of βcatenin and Ki-67. It also markedly decreased the concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α, potentially inhibiting hair follicle miniaturization by mitigating inflammation. The combined treatment promotes hair follicle growth by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway through STMN1 upregulation. BoNT/A in conjunction with PRP facilitates hair follicle growth and reconstruction through STMN1 protein modulation and Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation.