Identification of microRNAs involved in growth arrest and cell death in hydrogen peroxide-treated human dermal papilla cells.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are small non‑coding RNAs that regulate various biological processes by interfering with the translation of target genes. Several studies have suggested that miRNAs are involved in cellular responses to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in hair malignancies, however, the H2O2‑induced, miRNA‑dependent regulatory mechanisms of human dermal papilla (HDP) cells are not fully understood. Our previous study demonstrated that changes in miRNA expression function to regulate growth arrest and apoptosis in UVB‑irradiated HDPs. In the present study, miRNA expression was profiled in HDPs treated with H2O2. The transcriptome analysis of H2O2‑treated HDPs enabled the identification of 68 differentially expressed miRNAs (62 were upregulated and 6 were downregulated) and 14,316 putative target genes of the miRNAs. Gene ontology (GO) analysis was utilized to verify that the putative target genes of the altered miRNAs were associated with H2O2‑induced cell growth arrest and apoptosis. This bioinformatics analysis indicated that H2O2‑response pathways involved in growth arrest and apoptosis were significantly affected. The identification of miRNAs and their putative targets may offer new therapeutic strategies for H2O2‑induced hair follicle disorders.