Protective Effect of Superoxide Dismutase Against Hair Graying in a Mouse Model
November 2004
in “
Photochemistry and Photobiology
”
TLDR Superoxide dismutase (SOD) can prevent hair graying in mice.
The study investigated the protective effect of superoxide dismutase (SOD) against hair graying in a mouse model. Mice with black hair were treated on one side with a SOD-containing gel and exposed to psoralen plus UV-A, while the other side received a gel without SOD. In 27 out of 30 mice, the SOD-treated side regrew black hair, whereas the untreated side regrew gray or white hair. The study demonstrated that SOD penetrated the skin and protected melanocyte DNA from damage by dismutating superoxide radicals, suggesting that photosensitization reactions contribute to hair graying and can be mitigated by antioxidants like SOD. This mechanism warrants further investigation in human hair graying.