Protection against chemotherapy-induced alopecia.
OBJECTIVE
The goal is to provide an overview on the advances in protection against chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA).


METHODS
The four major parts of this review are (a) overview of the hair follicle biology, (b) characteristics of CIA, (c) state-of-the-art animal models of CIA, and (d) experimental approaches on protection against CIA.


RESULTS
The hair follicle represents an unintended target of cancer chemotherapy. CIA is a significant side effect that compromises the quality of life of patients. Overcoming CIA represents an area of unmet needs, especially for females and children. Significant progresses have been made in the last decade on the pathobiology of CIA. The pharmacological agents under evaluation include drug-specific antibodies, hair growth cycle modifiers, cytokines and growth factors, antioxidants, cell cycle or proliferation modifiers, and inhibitors of apoptosis. Their potential applications and limitations are discussed.


CONCLUSIONS
Multiple classes of agents with different action mechanisms have been evaluated in animal CIA models. Most of these protective agents have activity limited to a single chemotherapeutic agent. In comparison, calcitriol and cyclosporine A have broader spectrum of activity and can prevent against CIA by multiple chemotherapeutic agents. Among the three agents that have been evaluated in humans, AS101 and Minoxidil were able to reduce the severity or shorten the duration of CIA but could not prevent CIA.
Wang
Jie
J
College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Lu
Ze
Z
Au
Jessie L-S
JL
D000505:Alopecia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001688:Biological Products / Q000494:pharmacology; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000494:pharmacology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006197:Hair / Q000254:growth & development; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D001688:Biological Products; C062792:ImuVert; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D002117:Calcitriol