Screening Potential Drugs From Nitric Oxide Donors for Treating Alopecia Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation

This study investigates the potential of nitric oxide (NO) donors in treating alopecia by examining their physiological mechanisms. Researchers screened chemical targets of seven NO donors and identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for three types of alopecia: androgenic alopecia (AGA), alopecia areata (AA), and central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA). They found 339 chemical targets and identified 237, 266, and 1158 DEGs for AGA, AA, and CCCA, respectively. The study focused on 20 CCCA-related targets and discovered that hesperidin (HP) may regulate apoptosis and senescence pathways in hair follicle cells, potentially mitigating hair loss. This research highlights the molecular mechanisms of NO donors in hair follicle protection, suggesting future NO-based interventions for clinical applications.