People with red hair were often stigmatized – stigmatized more often in some eras than others – because of the rarity of their hair color. Only 1 to 2% of the world’s population has this genetic oddity, which if we are to believe a new study from the University of Edinburgh presented by the New Scientist website, will be accompanied by other strange oddities. Led by Jenna Cash, research shows that the genetic variant responsible for hair color appears to slow the healing process in redheads.
Our hair color is largely determined by a gene called MC1R, which codes for a protein that controls the ratio of black-brown and red-yellow pigments in hair follicles. In red-haired people, we find forms of the protein that are less active or not active at all due to mutations in the gene. The genetics of blondes are more complex because they can have active or inactive forms of the protein. The same protein also plays a role in our epidermis, as it has anti-inflammatory effects.
To carry out their research, the scientists deliberately made surgical wounds four millimeters wide on the backs of black-haired and red-haired mice. A week later, the wounds in the red mice had closed an average of 73%, compared with 93% in the black mice.
The team then wondered about the effects of an experimental drug that could increase the activity of the active form of the protein to improve healing of chronic wounds. This often occurs in diabetes sufferers, where excessive inflammation due to high blood sugar can slow healing.
What about humans?
So some mice were given medication and bandages, while others were given saline solution and bandages. After a week, the wounds on the mice that received the treatment had decreased by an average of 63%, more than double the wounds on the other mice.
Because wound healing in mice and humans is very similar, this approach could help better treat wounds in humans. Drugs targeting this protein are already being used to treat certain diseases, such as erythropoietic protoporphyria, a rare genetic disorder that makes the skin extremely sensitive to sunlight, suggesting that this approach is worth exploring, according to Jenna Cash.
However, as the researchers stated, further research needs to be done to verify this hypothesis by ensuring that the treatment is safe for patients, regardless of the type of wound, and new trials will soon be planned in humans.
“Redhead don’t need to worry, Jenna Cash said. We don’t have data on humans yet, and if healing is a little slower, they may not notice it; the effect may be very small.”
