Melatonin Protects K15+ Human Hair Follicle Stem Cells Against Paclitaxel-Induced Damage Ex Vivo

The pilot study tested the potential of melatonin, a neurohormone with oxidative and DNA damage-protective effects, as a protective agent against paclitaxel-induced damage to K15+ human hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs), a cause of chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). The study used healthy human scalp anagen VI hair follicles from 2 donors, exposing them to paclitaxel with and without melatonin. Results showed that melatonin preserved the number of K15+ HFSCs, reduced HFSC apoptosis, promoted HFSC proliferation, and decreased double-stranded DNA breaks and pathological epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the bulge epithelium. These findings suggest that topical melatonin could be a promising strategy to prevent paclitaxel-induced permanent CIA.