Immunoexpression of Adhesion Molecules During Human Fetal Hair Development

The study investigated the immunoexpression of adhesion molecules in hair follicles from 26 skin samples of human embryos and fetuses aged 12-23 weeks. It found that beta-1 integrin and e-cadherin/p-cadherin were expressed from 12 weeks and appeared to regulate epidermis invagination, while beta-catenin was not expressed, suggesting its downregulation might be necessary for fetal hair development. The study concluded that adhesion molecules, particularly integrins and cadherins, were crucial for hair follicle down growth and proliferation, highlighting the need for further research on hair follicle development.