Human hair growth in vitro

1990 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 463-471
Author(s):  
M.P. Philpott ◽  
M.R. Green ◽  
T. Kealey

We report for the first time the successful maintenance and growth of human hair follicles in vitro. Human anagen hair follicles were isolated by microdissection from human scalp skin. Isolation of the hair follicles was achieved by cutting the follicle at the dermo-subcutaneous fat interface using a scalpel blade. Intact hair follicles were then removed from the fat using watchmakers' forceps. Isolated hair follicles maintained free-floating in supplemented Williams E medium in individual wells of 24-well multiwell plates showed a significant increase in length over 4 days. The increase in length was seen to be attributed to the production of a keratinised hair shaft, and was not associated with the loss of hair follicle morphology. [methyl-3H]thymidine autoradiography confirmed that in vitro the in vivo pattern of DNA synthesis was maintained; furthermore, [35S]methionine labelling of keratins showed that their patterns of synthesis did not change with maintenance. The importance of this model to hair follicle biology is further demonstrated by the observations that TGF-beta 1 has a negative growth-regulatory effect on hair follicles in vitro and that EGF mimics the in vivo depilatory effects that have been reported in sheep and mice.

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 123-130
Author(s):  
Abraham A. Embi

The human hair consists of a follicle a.k.a root penetrating the skin and an outer skin structure commonly called the shaft. The hair follicle has been classified as a miniorgan having its own cells divisions; aging stages and also demonstrated to be an energy emitter in the form of electromagnetic radiation. The intent of this manuscript is to introduce documentation from in vivo experiments showing the deleterious effect of alcohol consumption on the previously documented hair follicle intrinsic and orderly emission of energy a.k.a. Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR). This was possible by a minor modification of a tabletop optical microscopy technique introduced in 2015 and designed to display plant and animals tissue EMR. In vitro control experiments had shown that a drop of white wine covering a human hair follicle placed on a glass slide caused what appeared to be a disruption on the hair follicle EMR emissions; the addition of chemicals to the wine during manufacturing could have caused that effect. The answer could lie in an in vivo alcohol drinking approach by increasing only the blood alcohol concentration (BAC). In this manuscript two in vitro and two in vivo are presented where the author, a non-alcohol drinker, purposely and during fasting underwent two binge-drinking episodes aimed to increase his BAC and investigate its impact on hair follicles. Several black beard hair samples were plucked via tweezers as controls; additional samples were also plucked and processed at approximately peak alcohol physical symptoms such cheek numbness and dizziness which occurred between 35 and 45 minutes post two episodes of wine or wine and beer binges. Images and video-recordings are presented.


2007 ◽  
Vol 177 (3) ◽  
pp. 501-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrin Lorenz ◽  
Carsten Grashoff ◽  
Robert Torka ◽  
Takao Sakai ◽  
Lutz Langbein ◽  
...  

Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) links integrins to the actin cytoskeleton and is believed to phosphorylate several target proteins. We report that a keratinocyte-restricted deletion of the ILK gene leads to epidermal defects and hair loss. ILK-deficient epidermal keratinocytes exhibited a pronounced integrin-mediated adhesion defect leading to epidermal detachment and blister formation, disruption of the epidermal–dermal basement membrane, and the translocation of proliferating, integrin-expressing keratinocytes to suprabasal epidermal cell layers. The mutant hair follicles were capable of producing hair shaft and inner root sheath cells and contained stem cells and generated proliferating progenitor cells, which were impaired in their downward migration and hence accumulated in the outer root sheath and failed to replenish the hair matrix. In vitro studies with primary ILK-deficient keratinocytes attributed the migration defect to a reduced migration velocity and an impaired stabilization of the leading-edge lamellipodia, which compromised directional and persistent migration. We conclude that ILK plays important roles for epidermis and hair follicle morphogenesis by modulating integrin-mediated adhesion, actin reorganization, and plasma membrane dynamics in keratinocytes.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (18) ◽  
pp. 5243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Kaden ◽  
Lars Dähne ◽  
Fanny Knorr ◽  
Heike Richter ◽  
Jürgen Lademann ◽  
...  

Nanoparticles can be applied to the hair follicles, which can serve as reservoirs for triggered drug release. A valid measurement method for the determination of the pH within the hair follicle in vivo has not been shown yet. Here, melamine formaldehyde particles up to 9 µm in size were applied on 40 freshly plucked scalp hairs of eight individuals to determine the pH along the hair shaft down to the root area of the hair. For fluorescent pH indicators, pyranine and Nile blue were incorporated into the particles. Measurements were conducted using confocal laser scanning microscopy. A pH decay gradient could be found from the hair sheath towards the external hair shaft (p = 0.012) with pH values at the hair sheath of 6.63 ± 0.09, at the hair sheath end at 6.33 ± 0.11, and at the external hair shaft at 6.17 ± 0.09 (mean ± SE). The pH difference between the hair sheath end and the external hair shaft was found to be significant (p = 0.036). The results might be comparable with the pH within the hair follicle in vivo indicating a pH increase towards the hair root.


1997 ◽  
Vol 1997 ◽  
pp. 170-170
Author(s):  
H. Galbraith ◽  
D. Sims ◽  
D. Hazlerigg

Factors regulating the growth of Cashmere fibre and the hair follicle cycle are poorly understood. Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) or insulin at higher concentrations, have been shown to stimulate in vitro growth of human hair follicles (Philpott et al, 1994). The role of such mitogens in the production of cashmere fibre by the Cashmere goat has not been previously investigated. The objective the study reported here was to investigate the growth of hair follicles in the absence and presence of insulin or IGF-I using our established in vitro technique.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mira Choi ◽  
Soon-Jin Choi ◽  
Sunhyae Jang ◽  
Hye-In Choi ◽  
Bo-Mi Kang ◽  
...  

AbstractShikimic acid (SA) has recently been found to be a major component of plant stem cells. The exact effects of SA on human hair follicles (HFs) is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of SA on hair growth. We investigated the effect of SA on an in vivo C57BL/6 mouse model. We examined the expression of mannose receptor (MR), which is a known receptor of SA, in human HFs and the effect of SA on human dermal papilla cells (hDPCs), outer root sheath cells (hORSCs), and on ex vivo human hair organ culture. SA significantly prolonged anagen hair growth in the in vivo mouse model. We confirmed expression of the MR in human HFs, and that SA increased the proliferation of hDPCs and hORSCs. It was found that SA enhanced hair shaft elongation in an ex vivo human hair organ culture. SA treatment of hDPCs led to increased c-myc, hepatocyte growth factor, keratinocyte growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor levels and upregulation of p38 MAPK and cAMP response element-binding protein levels. Our results show that SA promotes hair growth and may serve as a new therapeutic agent in the treatment of alopecia.


2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (19) ◽  
pp. 8649-8661 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Teulière ◽  
M. M. Faraldo ◽  
M. Shtutman ◽  
W. Birchmeier ◽  
J. Huelsken ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Both β-catenin and plakoglobin can stimulate the expression of Lef/Tcf target genes in vitro. β-Catenin is known to associate with Lef/Tcf factors and to participate directly in transactivation in vivo, whereas the role of plakoglobin in transcriptional regulation has been less studied. To analyze the functions of plakoglobin in vivo, we generated transgenic mice expressing in the epidermis N-terminally truncated plakoglobin (ΔN122-PG) lacking the glycogen synthase kinase 3β phosphorylation sites and therefore protected against degradation (transgenic line K5-ΔN122-PG). The expression of ΔN122-PG led to the formation of additional hair germs, hyperplastic hair follicles, and noninvasive hair follicle tumors, a phenotype reminiscent of that induced by expression of N-terminally truncated β-catenin. However, if expressed in β-catenin-null epidermis, ΔN122-PG did not induce new hair follicle germs and follicular tumors. Thus, ΔN122-PG cannot substitute for β-catenin in its signaling functions in vivo and the phenotype observed in K5-ΔN122-PG mouse skin must be due to the aberrant activation of β-catenin signaling. On the other hand, the expression of ΔN122-PG in β-catenin-null skin significantly increased the survival rate of mutant mice, rescued differentiation, and limited excessive proliferation in the interfollicular epidermis, suggesting that plakoglobin may be involved in the intracellular signaling events essential for epidermal differentiation.


PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheng Jye Lim ◽  
Shu Cheow Ho ◽  
Pooi Ling Mok ◽  
Kian Lee Tan ◽  
Alan H.K. Ong ◽  
...  

Background Human hair follicles are important for the renewal of new hairs and their development. The generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from hair follicles is easy due to its accessibility and availability. The pluripotent cells derived from hair follicles not only have a higher tendency to re-differentiate into hair follicles, but are also more suited for growth in hair scalp tissue microenvironment. Methods In this study, human hair follicular keratinocytes were used to generate iPSCs, which were then further differentiated in vitro into keratinocytes. The derived iPSCs were characterised by using immunofluorescence staining, flow cytometry, and reverse-transcription PCR to check for its pluripotency markers expression. Results The iPSC clones expressed pluripotency markers such as TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81, SSEA4, OCT4, SOX2, NANOG, LEFTY, and GABRB. The well-formed three germ layers were observed during differentiation using iPSCs derived from hair follicles. The successful formation of keratioctyes from iPSCs was confirmed by the expression of cytokeratin 14 marker. Discussion Hair follicles represent a valuable keratinocytes source for in vitro hair cloning for use in treating hair balding or grafting in burn patients. Our significant findings in this report proved that hair follicles could be used to produce pluripotent stem cells and suggested that the genetic and micro-environmental elements of hair follicles might trigger higher and more efficient hair follicles re-differentiation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Schembri ◽  
Christian Scerri ◽  
Duncan Ayers

The hair follicle is a skin integument at the boundary between an organism and its immediate environment. The biological role of the human hair follicle has lost some of its ancestral importance. However, an indepth investigation of this miniorgan reveals hidden complexity with huge research potential. An essential consideration when dealing with human research is the awareness of potential harm and thus the absolute need not to harm—a rule aptly qualified by the Latin term “primum non nocere” (first do no harm). The plucked hair shaft offers such advantages. The use of stem cells found in hair follicles cells is gaining momentum in the field of regenerative medicine. Furthermore, current diagnostic and clinical applications of plucked hair follicles include their use as autologous and/or three-dimensional epidermal equivalents, together with their utilization as surrogate tissue in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics studies. Consequently, the use of noninvasive diagnostic procedures on hair follicle shafts, posing as a surrogate molecular model for internal organs in the individual patient for a spectrum of human disease conditions, can possibly become a reality in the near future.


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