Background. Alopecia has become an exceedingly prevalent dermatological disorder. Etiologically, infection (bacterial and fungal infection), inflammation, and immune dysregulation are the main causes of immune-mediated hair loss. Treating hair loss has remained challenging as the available therapies are limited. Exosomes from adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC-Exos) have been used for treating neurodegenerative diseases and autoimmune diseases and in wound-healing treatments. However, the function and mechanism of ADSC-Exos in alopecia treatment remain unclear. This study is aimed at investigating the effects of ADSC-Exos on hair growth in vitro and in vivo for potentially treating immune-mediated alopecia and further exploring the underlying mechanism. Methods. Cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of dermal papilla cells (DPCs) that were treated with ADSC-Exos were detected using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, scratch wound-healing assay, and flow cytometry assay, respectively. A C57BL/6 hair-depilated mouse model was established in vivo; then, ADSC-Exos were subcutaneously injected alone or in combined with minoxidil. The effects of ADSC-Exos on hair growth, pathological changes, and the related mechanism were investigated by HE staining, quantitative realtime PCR (qRT-PCR), western blotting, and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Results. ADSC-Exos significantly promoted DPC proliferation and migration while also reducing apoptosis. In addition, compared with the control group, ADSC-Exos-treated mice had better hair growth, more hair follicles (HFs) and thicker dermis. RNA-seq revealed that the miR-22 and TNF-α signaling pathways were markedly downregulated in DPCs after ADSC-Exos treatment. In addition, according to qRT-PCR and western blotting results, the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was activated in the skin of ADSC-Exos-treated mice. Conclusion. ADSC-Exos therapy positively affected the promotion of hair regrowth by regulating miR-22, the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, and the TNF-α signaling pathway, implying that ADSC-Exos could be a promising cell-free therapeutic strategy for immune-mediated alopecia.

Candida albicans (C. albicans) is the most common causative agent of invasive fungal infections in hospitals. The body defends against and eliminates C. albicans infection by various mechanisms of immune response, and the latter mechanism of immune evasion is a major challenge in the clinical management of C. albicans infection. The role of macrophages in combating C. albicans infection has only recently been recognized, but the mechanisms remain to be elucidated. This review focuses on the interaction between C. albicans and macrophages (macrophages), which causes the body to generate an immune response or C. albicans immune escape, and then regulates the body’s immune microenvironment, to explore the effect of C. albicans virulence resistance vs. macrophage killing and clarify the role and mechanism of C. albicans pathogenesis. In general, a thorough understanding of the molecular principles driving antifungal drug resistance is essential for the development of innovative treatments that can counteract both existing and emerging fungal threats.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) affects the quality of life (QoL) and has a negative psychological impact on patients. We sought to investigate the frequency of anxiety and depression in AGA patients and explore their relationship with patients’ QoL. This cross‐sectional survey enrolled 192 participants with AGA. Hairdex, World Health Organization Quality of life Brief Version (WHOQOL‐BREF), and dermatology life quality index (DLQI) instruments were used to assess the QoL of patients, and hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) was used to evaluate patients’ anxiety symptom and depression symptom. HADS, WHOQOL‐BREF, and DLQI scores and domains of the Hairdex score were analyzed using linear regression and Pearson correlation. Apart from self‐confidence, all four domains of Hairdex were significantly correlated with depression scores and anxiety scores. All four domains of WHOQOL‐BREF were significantly correlated with depression and anxiety scores. While all six domains of DLQI were also significantly correlated with anxiety scores only. This study demonstrates a significant correlation between psychiatric morbidity and QoL in individuals with AGA. Hence, psychiatric treatment evaluations should be considered.