Researchers from COMSATS University in Pakistan and the University of Sheffield accidentally discovered that a naturally occurring DNA sugar, 2-deoxy-D-ribose, can restart hair growth in mice with testosterone-linked baldness. When the sugar was mixed into a biodegradable gel and rubbed onto the animals’ skin for 20 days, it generated new blood vessels around each hair follicle and restored thick, normal-length fur—results that matched those of minoxidil, today’s best-known over-the-counter treatment. Because the sugar is cheap, stable and already produced inside the body, the team believes it could become a gentler alternative for hereditary-pattern baldness and perhaps for hair loss after chemotherapy. The findings are still at an early, animal-model stage, and the scientists stress that human trials and safety studies must come next.
Stimulation of hair regrowth in an animal model of androgenic alopecia using 2-deoxy-D-ribose (Frontiers in Pharmacology)
The paper shows that a gel containing 2-deoxy-D-ribose revives dormant follicles, thickens hair shafts and lengthens the growth phase in a mouse model of androgenic alopecia, apparently by boosting local blood-vessel formation.
Cure for male pattern baldness given boost by sugar discovery – University of Sheffield press release
Quotes lead authors Sheila MacNeil and Muhammad Yar; emphasises low cost and ease of formulating the sugar into creams.
A surprise hair-loss breakthrough: Sugar gel triggers robust regrowth
Provides lay explanation of why current drugs fall short and why 2-deoxy-D-ribose could be safer.
Hair-loss breakthrough: Sugar gel boosts regrowth by 90 percent
Summarises the mouse results and notes the potential for use after chemotherapy.
