{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T05:50:39Z","timestamp":1790142639619,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,3]],"date-time":"2026-07-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783036800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Marine Drugs"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Collagen peptides have been widely studied for their beneficial effects on skin health; however, their potential role in hair growth remains insufficiently explored. This study aimed to investigate the effects of orally administered low-molecular-weight fish collagen peptide (SH-GT) on hair regrowth and its underlying mechanisms in a hair-removed C57BL\/6J mouse model. Mice were administered SH-GT (100, 300, or 600 mg\/kg body weight) or a positive control (Pansidil, 400 mg\/kg) daily for 28 days. SH-GT significantly enhanced hair regrowth, as evidenced by the increased hair growth area. Histological analysis revealed increased dermal thickness and visible hair follicle structures in SH-GT-treated groups. At the molecular level, SH-GT upregulated proliferation-related proteins, including PCNA and Cyclin D1, and activated Wnt\/\u03b2-catenin signaling. In addition, SH-GT enhanced PI3K\/Akt\/mTOR signaling, suggesting improved cellular growth and survival. Conversely, SH-GT suppressed hair growth inhibitory pathways by reducing BMP4 expression and decreasing Smad phosphorylation. Furthermore, SH-GT increased the mRNA expression of growth factors such as IGF-1, HGF, VEGF, EGF, and FGF7. In conclusion, SH-GT promotes hair regrowth by simultaneously activating proliferation-related signaling pathways and suppressing inhibitory mechanisms, thereby improving the dorsal skin microenvironment associated with hair regrowth. These findings suggest that SH-GT may serve as a promising functional ingredient for improving hair growth.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/md24070233","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,3]],"date-time":"2026-07-03T09:34:11Z","timestamp":1783071251000},"page":"233","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Low-Molecular-Weight Fish Collagen Peptide Enhances Hair Regrowth via Activation of Proliferative Signaling and Suppression of Inhibitory Pathways"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"24","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-3461-0839","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hyelim","family":"Kim","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Nutrition, AgeTech-Service Convergence Major, Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 17104, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Research Institute of Medical Nutrition, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yeonhwa","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Food and Nutrition, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8808-6328","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Seong-Hoo","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Institute of Medical Nutrition, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hyunyoung","family":"Choi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Institute of Medical Nutrition, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-9383-3435","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joon Sung","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research&Department, Geltech, Busan 46752, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3791-4554","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kyung Seok","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"New Ingredient Development Research Center, Suheung, Gwacheon 13840, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Woojin","family":"Jun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Food and Nutrition, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Research Institute for Human Ecology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Natarelli, N., Gahoonia, N., and Sivamani, R.K. 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