Simulative evaluation of taurine against alopecia caused by stress in Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

Hair loss or alopecia has been portrayed as a modern malady which is aggravated by stressful conditions. Major cases of alopecia were found among individuals of 40s-50s, nowadays, even among the 20s-30s. This study characterized taurine's potential against alopecia caused by chemical stress agents based on the comparison with other commercially available anti-alopecia agents using Caenorhabditis elegans . The criteria used are their effects on the expression of stress markers and measurements of vital signs: lifespan comparison, progeny number, and mobility. C . elegans showed the typical stress symptoms under treatment with tunicamycin, endoplasmic reticulum stress agent. Hsp-70 protein expression increased, while worm's lifespan and per capita progeny number significantly decreased along with an unusually retarded movement. A positive response was shown when worms were treated with taurine along with astressin-B and finasteride. Between the treatments, finasteride showed better outcomes in terms of stress-reducing effects. Taurine helped worms recover more effectively from adverse influence of stress. In conclusion, there is strong evidence that taurine has a great potential as anti-alopecia effect especially against the one caused by the chemical stress. The present study implies that taurine might strongly work against hair loss when used in combination with other commercially available anti-alopecia agents. © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013.