Botulinum Toxin Type A Alleviates Androgenetic Alopecia by Inhibiting Apoptosis of Dermal Papilla Cells via Targeting Circ_0135062/MiR-506-3p/Bax Axis

The study investigated the molecular mechanism of Botulinum toxin type A (BTXA) in preventing apoptosis (cell death) of dermal papillary cells (DPCs), which is beneficial in treating androgenetic alopecia (AGA). The research found that BTXA inhibits apoptosis of DPCs treated with dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone linked to hair loss. The study also discovered that a non-coding RNA, circ_0135062, when overexpressed, counteracts the protective effect of BTXA on DPCs treated with DHT. Furthermore, miR-506-3p, another non-coding RNA, interacts with the protein Bax to inhibit apoptosis of DPCs against DHT-induced damage. However, circ_0135062 can inhibit this protective effect by acting as a 'sponge' for miR-506-3p, preventing it from inhibiting Bax expression. In summary, BTXA prevents DHT-induced DPC damage via the circ_0135062/miR-506-3p/Bax axis.