Exploring Hair Aging Through Ex Vivo Induction of DNA Damage and Senescence

    July 2025 in “ Journal of Investigative Dermatology ”
    J. Edelkamp, Cecilia Colombero, J. Viola-Söhnlein, Sabine Gruedl, Onur Egriboz, Thomas Welss, Francisco Jiménez, Karin Pappelbaum, M. Bertolini
    TLDR BrdU speeds up hair follicle aging and reduces hair quality.
    This study explored the effects of the DNA-intercalating nucleotide BrdU on hair follicle (HF) aging and senescence using ex vivo models from 3 healthy donors. BrdU was found to increase markers of DNA damage and cellular senescence in a dose-dependent manner without causing cytotoxicity. It inhibited hair shaft production and quality by reducing the expression of key keratins and proteins, and induced premature catagen development, leading to a reduced hair cycle score and decreased keratinocyte proliferation. These findings suggest that BrdU accelerates intrinsic aging in human HFs and the assay could be used to study aging mechanisms and test senolytic compounds.
    Discuss this study in the Community →