(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate promotes the dermal papilla cell proliferation and migration through the induction of VEGFA.

Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) are crucial for the growth and development of hair follicles (HF). (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the primary catechin identified in green tea, which has antioxidant effects and regulates cell activity. This study demonstrates that EGCG could promote the proliferation of DPCs. In addition, EGCG treatment significantly upregulated the expression of PCNA, CCND1, HIF-1α, VEGFA, and Bcl-2 mRNAs in DPCs, while significantly reducing the gene expression of Bax. The optimal concentration of EGCG addition was screened. When detecting the antioxidant ability of DPCs, treatment with 0.5 μM EGCG could intensify the relative activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione, promoting the antioxidant ability and migration of DPCs. Subsequently, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with the EGCG treatment in DPCs were identified by RNA sequencing, revealing 21 DEGs, including VEGFA, POSTN, CLU, SERPINE2, and NPY. As the candidate gene, the role of VEGFA in regulating HF growth and development was investigated. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that EGCG treatment enhanced the fluorescence intensity of VEGFA and CLU in DPCs. After VEGFA overexpression and knockdown in DPCs, it was found to regulate the HF growth and the expression of development-related genes, enhance the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and promote DPCs proliferation. EGCG could also rescue the siRNA-VEGFA effect in DPCs. Thus, this study demonstrates that EGCG possibly regulates cell viability in DPCs by inducing VEGFA expression level, and provides a reference for exploring the mechanism of HF growth and the treatment of hair-related illnesses.