Annurca Apple Polyphenols Protect Murine Hair Follicles from Taxane Induced Dystrophy and Hijacks Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Metabolism toward β-Oxidation

    November 2018 in “Nutrients
    Gennaro Riccio, Eduardo Sommella, Nadia Badolati, Emanuela Salviati, Sara Bottone, Pietro Campiglia, Monica Dentice, Gian Carlo Tenore, Mariano Stornaiuolo, Ettore Novellino
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    TLDR Annurca apple extract may protect mouse hair from damage by chemotherapy and could help treat hair loss without promoting cancer growth.
    The 2018 study investigated the protective effects of Annurca Apple Polyphenolic Extract (AAE) on murine hair follicles (HFs) against the damage caused by taxane chemotherapy drugs. It was found that AAE can protect HFs by promoting ATP production through mitochondrial β-oxidation, which allows amino acids to be used for keratin production rather than for DNA replication and mitosis. AAE also increased the levels of Prostaglandins F2x (PGF2x), which is known to promote hair growth, and redirected polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) catabolites towards β-oxidation. The study, which involved 15 mice, concluded that AAE could be a safe nutraceutical alternative for treating chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA), especially in patients undergoing taxane-containing chemotherapy, as it does not stimulate cancer cell proliferation. The extract was shown to preserve hair shaft morphology and keratin content in HFs treated with taxanes, suggesting its potential as an effective treatment for CIA.
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