Advanced Age Impairs Self-Renewal and Biases Fate Choice of Hair Follicle Dermal Stem Cells

The study from May 2018 demonstrated that advanced age leads to a decline in the function of hair follicle dermal stem cells (hfDSCs) in mice, resulting in impaired hair follicle regeneration and hair loss. Over a 24-month period, there was a notable decrease in the number of hfDSCs and their differentiated mesenchymal progeny. Older hfDSCs were more prone to differentiate into dermal papilla cells, unlike their younger counterparts. Clonal analysis showed that hfDSCs from 18-month-old mice had a reduced capacity for self-renewal and were more likely to become dermal sheath cells compared to those from 2-month-old mice. In vitro tests confirmed the diminished self-renewal ability of aged hfDSCs. The study indicates that the maintenance of the hair follicle mesenchyme by hfDSCs is compromised with age, which contributes to progressive hair loss. Further research is being conducted to identify the genes responsible for this age-related dysfunction.