Computational Drug Discovery in Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia via Text Mining and Biomedical Databases

April 2019 in “ Clinical Therapeutics ”

Nanyang Zhang, Wenjian Xu, Shijie Wang, Yan Qiao, Xiaoxiao Zhang

chemotherapy-induced alopecia topical use molecular pathways gene ontology Functional Enrichment analysis protein-protein interaction network String database gene enrichment analysis protein-protein interaction analysis drug repositioning CIA topical application gene analysis protein interaction

Studysummary This study identified 19 genes targeted by 29 potential drugs for topical treatment of chemotherapy-induced alopecia, suggesting avenues for drug repositioning in pharmaceutical research.

Our plain-language summary. Not medical advice or a treatment recommendation. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing treatment. Full disclaimer

The study "Computational Drug Discovery in Chemotherapy-induced Alopecia via Text Mining and Biomedical Databases" conducted in 2019 used computational tools to analyze publicly available data and identify drugs for topical use that target the molecular pathways involved in chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). The researchers determined the genes associated with CIA through text mining and studied the gene ontology using the Functional Enrichment analysis tool. They also performed protein-protein interaction network analysis using the String database. The analysis identified 427 genes common to CIA text-mining concepts. Gene enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction analysis yielded 19 genes potentially targetable by a total of 29 drugs that could possibly be formulated for topical application. These findings could help discover more effective agents and facilitate drug repositioning efforts in the pharmaceutical industry.

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Research cited in this study

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3 citations , May 2017 in “Heliyon”

This study found that in a neonatal rat model, skin wounding protected against chemotherapy-induced alopecia through IL-1β signaling, making hair follicles more resistant to damage when wounding exposure was timed correctly.

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This proposal reviews current knowledge and suggests actions for managing chemotherapy‐induced alopecia but reports no new clinical results, highlighting the need for evidence‐based guidelines.

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36 citations , May 2015 in “Australasian Journal of Dermatology”

This case report described cosmetically significant hair regrowth in a 39-year-old woman with permanent chemotherapy-induced alopecia after continuous oral minoxidil use.

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This study found that inhibiting EGFR signaling in mice can prevent alopecia caused by cyclophosphamide treatment, highlighting its potential role in managing chemotherapy-induced hair loss.

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218 citations , January 2013 in “The Lancet Oncology”

This review discusses the pathobiology of chemotherapy-induced alopecia and highlights challenges in managing it, reporting no new clinical results and emphasizing the need for well-designed preclinical models to develop effective treatments.

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This review discusses treatments for chemotherapy-induced alopecia, highlighting scalp cooling for hair loss prevention and 2% topical minoxidil for regrowth acceleration as effective options, but reports a need for more rigorous trials to validate promising new therapies.

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This review covers various strategies to manage chemotherapy-induced alopecia, highlighting that agents like AS101 and minoxidil can reduce its severity but not prevent it, with no new clinical results reported.

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Overexpression of Bcl-2 Protects from Ultraviolet B-Induced Apoptosis but Promotes Hair Follicle Regression and Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia

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47 citations , April 2000 in “The American journal of pathology”

This study found that overexpressing human Bcl-2 in mice protected epidermal keratinocytes from UVB-induced apoptosis but unexpectedly increased apoptosis during hair follicle regression and chemotherapy.

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