PTD-DBM (5mg)

PTD-DBM stands for Protein Transduction Domain-fused Disheveled Binding Motif. It is a synthetic peptide which has been studied within a wide range of research areas, including tissue damage and hair follicle development. Researchers have focused on the peptide specifically within the context of follicle development, suggested it may exert stimulating action through interaction with the endogenous proteins linked to follicle damage called CXXC5.^[1] It was discovered by Professor Kang-Yell Choi and his team of researchers at the Yonsei University in South Korea. The researchers studied the mechanism of hair follicle loss, and suggested that the cellular pathway Wnt/β-catenin may be crucial for follicle development.

The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is often studied in the context of tissue development and regeneration, Wnt proteins are a family of secreted signaling molecules that bind to cell surface receptors to trigger a cascade of intracellular events. β-catenin is a protein that normally resides in the cytoplasm of cells. Upon activation of the Wnt pathway, β-catenin is thought to accumulate in the cell and translocate to the nucleus, where it may activate the transcription of specific target genes involved in cell growth and differentiation. The activation of β-catenin may have a role in supporting and even increasing hair follicle development and possibly initiating the anagen phase, which represents the growth stage of hair follicles, as observed in murine models.

It has been hypothesized that PTD-DBM may interfere with the binding of CXXC5 and Dishevelled (Dvl) proteins by acting as a competitor. Specifically the peptide might inhibit the interaction between CXXC5 and Dishevelled (Dvl) proteins by binding to the PDZ domain of Dvl, thus interfering with CXXC5’s inhibitory actions on Wnt/β‐catenin signaling. Such a disruption might support the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, thereby possibly promoting the onset of the anagen phase. Data from such murine studies suggests elevated expression levels of β-catenin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), which are markers linked to cellular proliferation and hair follicle functionality.^[1]