Intrinsic ROS Drive Hair Follicle Cycle Progression by Modulating DNA Damage and Repair and Subsequently Hair Follicle Apoptosis and Macrophage Polarization

Hair follicles (HFs) maintain homeostasis through the hair cycles; therefore, disrupting the hair cycle may lead to hair loss. Our previous study showed that apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) nuclear translocation and poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase 1 (PARP1) upregulation induced apoptosis in mouse hair follicles during the hair cycle transition from anagen to catagen. However, the mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unclear. In this study, we found that intrinsic ROS levels increased during the hair follicle cycle transition from anagen to catagen, followed by abrupt DNA breaks and activation of homologous recombinant and nonhomologous end joining DNA repair, along with the enhancement of apoptosis. Mice in different stages of the hair cycle were sacrificed, and the dorsal skins were collected. The results of western blot and histological staining indicated that AIF-PARP1 plays a key role in HF apoptosis, but their role in the regulation of the HF cycle is not clear. Mice were treated with inhibitors from anagen to catagen: treatment with BMN 673, a PARP1 inhibitor, increased DNA breaks and activated the cytochrome c/caspase-3-mediated apoptotic pathway, accelerating HF regression. Ac-DEVD-CHO (Ac), a caspase-3 inhibitor, attenuated HF degeneration by upregulating PARP1 expression, suggesting a seesaw relationship between cytochrome c-caspase-3- and AIF-PARP1-mediated apoptosis, wherein PARP1 may be the fulcrum. In addition, macrophages were involved in regulating the hair cycle, and the rate of M1 macrophages around HFs increased during catagen, while more M2 macrophages were found during anagen and telogen. Our results indicate that intrinsic ROS drive HF cycle progression through DNA damage and repair, followed by apoptosis. Intrinsic ROS drive hair follicle cycle progression by modulating DNA damage and repair, and consecutively, hair follicle apoptosis and macrophage polarization work together to promote the hair follicle cycle.