Effects of alcoholic extract from Clitoria ternatea flowers on the proliferation of human dermal papilla cells and hair growth in C57BL/6Mlac mice

Clitoria ternatea is a vine native to tropical and equatorial Asia. Previous review articles have mentioned about different biological activities of extracts from flowers and other parts of the plant, but none being related to hair growth-promoting activity. Scientific reports dealing with hair growth-promoting activity of this plant are scarce. In the present study, the effect of alcoholic extract from its flowers on the proliferation of dermal papilla cells (DPCs) from isolated hair papillae of normal human scalp hair follicles was performed in comparison with minoxidil. Moreover, its effect on hair growth was also tested in C57BL/6Mlac mice of both sexes in comparison with minoxidil and latanoprost. The results have indicated that the extract could increase human DPC proliferation and stimulate the initial hair growth of C57BL/6Mlac mice, but it has no ability to increase the number of hair follicles or to prolong the anagen hair follicles. The effects of the C. ternatea alcoholic extract were similar to those of minoxidil.