DNA Microarray and Bioinformatic Analysis Reveals the Potential of Whale Oil in Enhancing Hair Growth in C57BL/6 Mice

Much research has been conducted to determine how hair regeneration is regulated, as this could provide therapeutic, cosmetic, and even psychological interventions for hair loss. The current study focused on the hair growth effect and effective utilization of fatty oil obtained from Bryde's whales through high-throughput DNA microarray approach in conjunction with immunohistochemical observations. The research also examined the mechanisms and factors involved in hair growth. In an experiment using female C57BL/6J mice, the vehicle control group (VC: propylene glycol: ethanol: water), the positive control group (MXD: 3% minoxidil), and the experimental group (WO: 20% Whale Oil) were topically applied to the back of the mouse. The results showed that 3% MXD and 20% WO were more effective than VC in promoting hair growth, especially 20% WO. Furthermore, in hematoxylin and eosin-stained skin tissue, an increase in the number of hair follicles and subcutaneous tissue thickness was observed with 20% WO. Whole-genome transcriptomic analysis also showed that 20% WO may have lower stress- and inflammation-related responses than 3% MXD. Therefore, whale oil can be expected to be used as a safe hair growth agent. Whole genome DNA microarray was carried out on the skin samples (the back whole skin tissue of C57BL/6J mice was ground into a fine powder in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80°C until RNA isolation, and total RNA was extracted from powdered mouse skin tissue using the RNeasy Mini Kit ) to suggest molecular factors underlying the hair-promoting effects of WO. Total RNA extracted from mouse skin tissue for each control and treatment (n=6) was pooled in each group, prior to DNA microarray analysis.