Clonal multipotency and effect of long-term in vitro expansion on differentiation potential of human hair follicle derived mesenchymal stem cells

In the 2012 study, human hair follicle-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hHF-MSCs) were found to be highly proliferative and capable of differentiating into multiple cell lineages, including myogenic, osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic. The cells could be cultured for about 45 population doublings before showing signs of aging. However, their differentiation potential, particularly for adipogenesis, declined with long-term in vitro expansion. Clonal analysis showed that 73% of the hHF-MSC clones had the ability to differentiate into two or three lineages, indicating a high degree of multipotency. These results suggest that hHF-MSCs have significant potential for use in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, although the decline in differentiation capacity with prolonged culture must be considered.