Scientists have got to the root of grey hair – paving the way for locks that retain the lustre of their youth well into old age. In a series of experiments, they have identified a protein called 'wnt' found to be vital to the production of colour in hairs. The breakthrough raises the prospects of drugs, lotions or shampoos that raise levels of wnt – and restore white or grey hair to its natural colour. Such a treatment would save women of a certain age the need to make endless expensive trips to the hair salon to have their greying roots covered up.
每天还在为“染发”而苦恼吗？看着一缕一缕的白发还在心寒么？有常言道：“一夜白了头”，大家都认为焦急忧虑的情绪会催生白发的生长速度，科学家近日发现了头发变白的原因：“Wnt”蛋白质在作怪，该蛋白能够促进头发干细胞发育，分泌头发所需的色素。据悉，当所谓的“Wnt”蛋白质捆绑头发内所含“黑素细胞”的时候，就会激活黑素细胞加速分裂，紧接着，黑素干细胞会产生所谓的“子细胞”。而黑素细胞“子细胞”继续产生黑色素，并注入头发之中。此外，这些“子细胞”产生黑色素的多少，跟个人基因有很大关系，这就是为何人的头发会有浅黑、金发、红发等多种颜色，而Wnt蛋白质的多少还和我们日常服用的药品、头发上涂抹的洗头膏以及护发素有着紧密的关系。
It would also doubtless be popular with middle-aged men keen to recapture their youthful looks. The U.S. researchers describe a series of experiments which reveal wnt to be key to hair retaining its colour. Writing in the journal Cell, they show that the protein kick-starts a chain of reactions which lead to stem or 'mother' cells in the scalp maturing and producing the pigment that gives hair its colour. The researchers said that young women who use hydrogen peroxide-based dyes to lighten their hair should not necessarily worry. In older women though, going blonde may speed up the greying process. It is thought that genetics control if and when a person will go grey, although stress, alcohol, smoking and poor diet are all thought to accelerate the process. Most Britons spot their first grey hairs around the age of 25.
这项发现被誉为“中老年人的福音”，为了恢复年轻的样貌去染发的时代有望一去不复返哦！科学家分析，随着人体衰老进程的加速，黑素干细胞无法保全，发生细胞凋亡或者失去应有的功能，因而才会导致头发逐渐变成灰白、白色或银色。这个过程中，Wnt信号蛋白质可能是问题的关键。科学家还建议那些为了成为“金发碧眼”的年轻女士们千万别总是为了美丽而去染发，染发能加速头发变白的趋势。此外，压力过大、酒精摄入量变多、以及吸烟和饮食不健康也有可能加速头发变白。调查还发现，英国人的“第一根白发”的年龄为25岁，可怕啊可怕！