A single-center clinical trial evaluating topical propranolol for preventing stress-induced hair loss

Abstract

There is currently a lack of pathological research on the hair loss caused by stress, and there is no effective treatment available. It has been previously reported that stress can cause sympathetic nerve activation and release of norepinephrine, which binds to beta-2 adrenergic receptors and causes a series of chemical reactions. Propranolol, as a beta-2 adrenergic receptors blocker, competitively antagonizes the effects of norepinephrine. We initiated a single-center clinical trial with a self-controlled approach to assess the effectiveness of topical applied hydrochloride salt of propranolol solution in preventing stress-induced hair loss in humans. A total of 20 volunteers were enrolled. 14 out of 20 volunteers experienced a significant reduction in the number of hair loss (p < .05) after using hydrochloride salt of propranolol solution. No local adverse reactions were found. This study showed hydrochloride salt of propranolol solution may alleviate stress-induced alopecia to a certain extent, which provides clues for the development of pharmaceutical interventions for the treatment of stress-induced alopecia.

Keywords: Beta‐2 adrenergic receptors; hair loss; norepinephrine; propranolol; stress.