Background: Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) are known to regulate the cell senescence via regulation of proliferation and apoptosis. Ceramide is a second messenger of bioactive sphingolipid that mediates a variety of cell functions involved in apoptosis, cell differentiation, proliferation and cellular senescence. However, the effects of ceramide on stress-induced senescence of hair follicles were not well identified yet. 

Objective: We aimed to confirm the effects of ceramide on regulating growth factors including ERK/Akt and Wnt/β-catenin pathway in senescence-induced DPCs. 

Method: To investigate the ceramide-related pathway, we evaluated how ceramide affects ERK/Akt activation and Wnt/β-catenin signaling in H2O2-treated DPCs. 

Results: We found that Akt phosphorylation in H2O2-treated DPCs was decreased by ceramide, whereas ERK phosphorylation was significantly upregulated by ceramide. Wnt5a and β-catenin mRNA levels were increased in ceramide alone group. Interestingly, ceramide upregulated the expression of Wnt10b in H2O2-treated DPCs. 

Conclusion: These results suggest that ceramide may be closely related to the maintenance of hair follicles in senescence environment such as aging or damaging by certain stimuli. Ceramide may be useful for adjunctive material to delay the hair senescence.

Stress-induced senescence of dermal papilla cells restored by synthesized ceramide