Immortalized Human Hair Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells-SV40

WJWE Promoted DPCs Proliferation and Alleviated DHT-Induced Cell Damage

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) lacks effective, mechanism-based therapies. Jiawei Erzhiwan water extract (WJWE) previously improved AGA, yet its mode of action remained unknown. In this study, using UPLC-MS/MS, a DHT-induced murine AGA model and DHT-induced hair dermal papilla cell assay, the effects of WJWE were confirmed, and its mechanism was explored through SIRT1/JNK/p38 MAPK signaling.

Because dermal papilla cells play a significant role in modulating HFSCs through the Wnt signaling pathway, the effects of WJWE on the viability of immortalized hair follicle dermal papilla cells (DPCs) were investigated, and its DHT cytotoxicity inhibition effect was confirmed. The CCK8 assay revealed that the viability of DPCs was increased with increasing concentrations of WJWE (0–160 μg/mL), and no cytotoxicity was observed at 320 μg/mL (Fig. 1A). The cells treated with WJWE (80 and 160 μg/mL) were dose-dependently observed to have more S and G2/M phases and a smaller percentage of G1/G0 phase (Fig. 1B and C). G1/G0 phase transition, an essential period for hair growth cycling, is influenced by DHT. Cell viability was recovered and LDH level was decreased with the treatment of WJWE (40, 80, and 160 μg/mL) in DHT-treated DPCs (Fig. 1D and E). The expression of Wnt5A and β-Catenin was also found to be increased (Fig. 1F). Therefore, it is hypothesized that WJWE increased DPC proliferation and inhibited DHT cytotoxicity. In further experiments, the detailed mechanism will be clarified.

Fig. 1. WJWE stimulated the DPCs proliferation and attenuated DHT-induced cell damage in vitro (Huang Z G, Li Y Y, et al., 2024).

The Effect of NSO on the Vitality of DPCs with H₂O₂-Induced Damage

Hair loss is prevalent, psychosocially distressing, and associated with oxidative stress; moreover, current drugs have a relapse problem and adverse side-effects. In this study, Ying's team aimed to evaluate whether Nannochloropsis salina fermented oil (NSO) can be a safe substance to promote hair growth by protecting dermal papilla cells from oxidative stress damage.

DPC proliferation is crucial in hair growth and the hair cycle. The results demonstrated that the treatment of NSO significantly enhanced the growth of immortalized hair follicle dermal papilla cells (DPCs) in all stages compared with the minoxidil group by 1.05–4.30-fold at 12 hours, 1.06–2.02-fold at 36 hours, and 0.80–2.59-fold at 60 hours (Fig. 2a–c). This result suggests that NSO induces earlier cell growth in the DPC culture. Oxidative stress damage plays a key role in hair loss; thus, investigating the cell repair ability of NSO is essential. The results showed that NSO treatment increased cell survival over the positive group by 0.99–3.29-fold at 12 hours, 1.08–2.38-fold at 36 hours, and 1.34–8.99-fold at 60 hours (Fig. 3a–c), indicating enhanced resistance to oxidative stress with time. In conclusion, pretreatment with NSO increases DPCs' resistance to H₂O₂-induced cytotoxicity.

Fig. 2. The effect of NSO on the cell viability of DPCs (Ying M, Zhou J, et al., 2024).

Fig. 3. The detection of the effect of NSO on H₂O₂-induced cytotoxicity in cells (Ying M, Zhou J, et al., 2024).