ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We investigated the inhibitory effect of edaravone (EDR) lotion on chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) to improve the quality of life for patients with cancer. METHODS: Wistar rats were intraperitoneally injected with cyclophosphamide (CPA, 75 mg/kg) to induce CIA and divided into six groups: (1) Control; (2) EDR 0%; (3) EDR 0.3%; (4) EDR 3%. The TUNEL-positive area was examined histologically, and mRNA expression levels of the apoptosis-related factors, such as B-cell/CLL lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), were determined. RESULTS: In the three CPA-treated groups, a decrease in the coverage score (percentage of hairs covered) was observed from days 16 to 18. In addition, coverage scores on day 21, the last day of observation, showed a tendency for the suppression of hair loss to increase, though hair loss was observed in all groups. The coverage scores of the EDR 0.3% and 3% groups after day 17 were significantly higher than those of the EDR 0% group. The TUNEL-positive area of skin tissue on day 16 was extensive in the EDR 0% group and decreased in the EDR 0.3% and 3% groups. The mRNA expression ratio of Bcl-2/Bax on day 21 was maintained at the same level as that of the control group only in the EDR 3% group. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed the use of EDR lotion to inhibit hair loss, indicating that the clinical application of EDR lotion may improve the quality of life for patients with cancer and their willingness to undergo treatment.
Subject(s)
Alopecia , Antipyrine , Cyclophosphamide , Edaravone , Free Radical Scavengers , Rats, Wistar , Animals , Alopecia/chemically induced , Alopecia/prevention & control , Alopecia/drug therapy , Edaravone/pharmacology , Edaravone/therapeutic use , Free Radical Scavengers/pharmacology , Free Radical Scavengers/administration & dosage , Free Radical Scavengers/therapeutic use , Rats , Antipyrine/analogs & derivatives , Antipyrine/pharmacology , Antipyrine/therapeutic use , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/genetics , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/metabolism , Apoptosis/drug effects , bcl-2-Associated X Protein/genetics , bcl-2-Associated X Protein/metabolism , Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating , Male , RNA, Messenger/genetics , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , Quality of LifeABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We evaluated the preventive effect of the antioxidant edaravone (EDR) on chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) to improve quality of life in cancer patients. METHODS: Hair loss was induced by intraperitoneally administering cyclophosphamide (CPA, 75 mg/kg) to rats, and topically applying EDR ointment (100 mg/day) once daily for 16 days (when hair loss starts) or 21 days (just before hair growth). The rats were divided into four groups: control group (without CPA or EDR), EDR 0% group (CPA + EDR 0%), EDR 3% group (CPA + EDR 3%), and EDR 30% group (CPA + EDR 30%). The prevention of CIA was evaluated by the hair coverage score (five levels from 0 to 4). Furthermore, we measured the size of the hair follicle area and the expression levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 mRNA in dermal papilla cells. RESULTS: The EDR 3% and EDR 30% groups exhibited higher hair coverage scores than the EDR 0% group on day 16 and day 21. On day 16, the hair follicle area in the EDR 3% and EDR 30% groups was significantly larger than that in the EDR 0% group. Furthermore, IGF-1 expression levels in the EDR 3% group were significantly higher than those in the EDR 0% group. On day 21, no significant difference was observed in hair follicle area or IGF-1 mRNA levels among the groups. CONCLUSION: Our results show that EDR administration lessened hair loss due to CPA in a dose-independent manner above doses of 3%, suggesting potential applications beside chemotherapy.