A novel rat model for chemotherapy-induced alopecia

Abstract

Summary Background More than half of all people diagnosed with cancer receive chemotherapy, and approximately 65% of these develop chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA), a side-effect that can have considerable negative psychological repercussions. Currently, there are very few animal models available to study the mechanism and prevention of CIA. Aim To develop a clinically relevant adult rat model for CIA. Methods We first tested whether neonatal pigmented Long–Evans (LE) rats developed alopecia in response to the chemotherapeutic agents etoposide and cyclophosphamide. We then determined whether the rats developed CIA as adults. In the latter experiment, rat dorsal hair was clipped during the early telogen stage to synchronize the hair cycle. and starting 15 days later, the rats were treated with etoposide for 3 days. Results Neonatal LE pups developed CIA in response to etoposide and cyclophosphamide, similar to other murine models for CIA. Clipping of the hair shaft during early telogen resulted in synchronized anagen induction and subsequent alopecia after etoposide treatment in the clipped areas only. Hair follicles in the clipped areas had the typical chemotherapy-induced follicular dystrophy (dystrophic catagen). When the hair in the pigmented alopecic areas regrew, it had normal pigmentation. Conclusions A novel, pigmented adult rat model has been established for CIA. By hair shaft clipping during early telogen, synchronized anagen entry was induced that resulted in alopecia in response to chemotherapy. This is the first clinically relevant adult rat model for CIA and will be a useful tool to test agents for the prevention and treatment of CIA.

Wound healing protects against chemotherapy-induced alopecia in young rats via up-regulating interleukin-1β-mediated signaling

“…By PD21, while the unwounded pups developed total alopecia of the trunk (Fig. 1C) as expected (Wikramanayake et al, 2012), patches of hair were retained at the wounded sites of their littermates (Fig. 1B, D).…”

Supportive Cryotherapy: A Review From Head to Toe

“…Much of the understanding has been gleaned from studies involving newborn rats, the C57BL/6 mouse model, and more recently an adult rat model. 51-53 Two broad mechanisms are felt to be responsible for hair loss: thinning of the hair shaft leading to breakage and inhibition of dividing hair matrix cells resulting in hair separation from the bulb (anagen effluvium). Both processes are related, in part, to the capacity of cytotoxic therapy to impair mitotic activity and induce apoptosis.…”

Parathyroid hormone linked to a collagen binding domain promotes hair growth in a mouse model of chemotherapy-induced alopecia in a dose-dependent manner

“…Most chemotherapeutic agents cause alopecia, which can be severe [2]. More than half of all people diagnosed with cancer receive chemotherapy, and approximately 65% of these develop chemotherapy-induced alopecia [3]. The alopecia side-effect can cause severe enough psychological distress to influence patient’s decision making, and cause them to decide against potentially lifesaving chemotherapy regimens [4, 5].…”