The Monophenolic Antioxidant TS-13 Accelerates Hair Restoration in Mice with Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia

Objective: Chemotherapy remains the leading treatment for malignant neoplasms, and finding ways and means to overcome or mitigate its side effects, including hair loss (CIA, chemotherapy-induced alopecia), remains extremely important. Despite the proven role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of CIA, the number of studies investigating the potential use of antioxidants for its prevention and treatment is limited. This work aims to investigate the effect of monophenol sodium 3-(3′-tert-butyl-4′-hydroxyphenyl)propylthiosulfonate (TS-13), which has both direct and indirect antioxidant effects, on hair restoration in mice modelling CIA. Material and methods: The study was performed on 30 outbred mice of both sexes, which were divided into 4 groups. Animals of group 1 were the control (n = 7); the mice of group 2 received TS-13 with drinking water at a rate of 100 mg/kg of body weight 14 days before depilation and throughout the experiment (group “TS-13,” n = 7); the mice of groups 3 (group “CIA,” n = 8) and 4 (group “CIA TS-13,” n = 8) modeled CIA, with animals of group 4 receiving TS-13 with drinking water throughout the experiment. All animals had their backs shaved, the treated areas were depilated, and on the 9th day, mice from groups 3 and 4 were injected intraperitoneally with a cyclophosphamide solution (120 mg/kg body weight). Subsequently, the backs were photographed every other day, and the resulting images were analyzed. On the 51st day, the animals were taken out of the experiment, and the organs (liver, heart, left kidney, spleen) were removed and weighed. Results and discussion: In terms of body weight, no significant differences were observed between the groups in the dynamics of the experiment; only a tendency for it to decrease was found in males receiving cyclophosphamide on the 17th day (p = 0.0662). In mice from the control group and those receiving TS-13 with drinking water, intensive hair growth began on the 11th–13th day of the experiment, and the hair was completely restored by the 13th–15th day. In animals of the CIA group, the phase of pronounced hair growth shifted significantly, starting on the 25th day until complete overgrowth on the 40th day; the administration of TS-13 to mice with CIA (group 4) accelerated the process, although not to the values of the intact (group 1, p = 0.015) and positive control (group 2, p = 0.002), where rapid hair growth began on the 17th day, complete restoration of the hair coat occurred on the 31st day; the difference with group 3 is statistically significant (p = 0.004). Conclusion: TS-13 administration accelerates hair regrowth in mice with CIA, although it does not completely abolish the hair loss-inducing ability of cyclophosphamide. We tend to regard the latter as a positive result, indicating that the substance does not cancel the main therapeutic effect of antitumor agents, which is an antiproliferative effect.