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Low-level laser treatment accelerated hair regrowth in a rat model of chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA)

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Abstract

Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) is one of the most distressing side effects of antineoplastic chemotherapy for which there is no effective interventional approach. A low-level laser (LLL) device, the HairMax LaserComb®, has been cleared by the FDA to treat androgenetic alopecia. Its effects may be extended to other settings; we have demonstrated that LaserComb treatment induced hair regrowth in a mouse model for alopecia areata. In the current study, we tested whether LLL treatment could promote hair regrowth in a rat model for CIA. Chemotherapy agents cyclophosphamide, etoposide, or a combination of cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin were administered in young rats to induce alopecia, with or without LLL treatment. As expected, 7–10 days later, all the rats developed full body alopecia. However, rats receiving laser treatment regrew hair 5 days earlier than rats receiving chemotherapy alone or sham laser treatment (with the laser turned off). The accelerated hair regrowth in laser-treated rats was confirmed by histology. In addition, LLL treatment did not provide local protection to subcutaneously injected Shay chloroleukemic cells. Taken together, our results demonstrated that LLL treatment significantly accelerated hair regrowth after CIA without compromising the efficacy of chemotherapy in our rat model. Our results suggest that LLL should be explored for the treatment of CIA in clinical trials because LLL devices for home use (such as the HairMax LaserComb®) provide a user-friendly and noninvasive approach that could be translated to increased patient compliance and improved efficacy.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the Locks of Love Foundation (J.J.J.) for their generous support in this investigation. T.C.W. is supported by a Career Development Award from NIH/NIAMS (AR-050487).

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The authors state no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Avenue, RSMB 2023A, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Tongyu Cao Wikramanayake, Alexandra C. Villasante, Lucia M. Mauro, Lawrence A. Schachner, Carmen I. Perez & Joaquin J. Jimenez

  2. Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1475 NW 12th Avenue, Suite# 2175, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Keyvan Nouri

Authors
  1. Tongyu Cao Wikramanayake
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  2. Alexandra C. Villasante
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  3. Lucia M. Mauro
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  4. Keyvan Nouri
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  5. Lawrence A. Schachner
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  6. Carmen I. Perez
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  7. Joaquin J. Jimenez
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Correspondence to Joaquin J. Jimenez.

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Wikramanayake, T.C., Villasante, A.C., Mauro, L.M. et al. Low-level laser treatment accelerated hair regrowth in a rat model of chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). Lasers Med Sci 28, 701–706 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-012-1139-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-012-1139-7

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