The research, published in the web-based publication PloS One, revealed that the discovery was unearthed “entirely by accident.”

Researchers from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) were studying mice with gut problems that were genetically altered to overproduce the stress hormone corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF). The chemical compound astressin-B thought to obstruct CRF was then injected into the balding mice.

“Our findings show that a short-duration treatment with this compound causes an astounding long-term hair regrowth in chronically stressed mutant mice,” said Dr Million Mulugeta of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

“This molecule also keeps the hair colour (and) prevents the hair from turning grey,” he told the AFP news agency.

”This could open new avenues to treat hair loss in humans,” Dr Mulugeta added.

Afterwards, the researchers treated the mice with minoxidil alone. The study reported that this procedure “resulted in mild hair growth, as it does in humans. This suggests that astressin-B could also translate for use in human hair growth.”

The potential use of astressin-B in human hair loss cases was boosted by the research team’s assertion that no sign of toxicity appeared after extensive tests on the mice. However, human hair loss treatments with astressin-B if they even come about may take around five to 10 years to transpire but whether the treatment will be equally as effective for humans, is being proven to be accurate with recent studies.

This product is set to help hair loss sufferers, with the possibility of a number of new treatments on the horizon, including treatment related to stem cells and the new discovery of astressin-B. In the mean-time, there are two clinically proven treatments that are highly effective in preventing hair loss and regrowing hair for those with moderate to severe thinning hair. RU54881 and Minoxidil along with Astressin-B !