Age-Related Changes in the Dorsal Skin Histology in Mini and Wistar Rats

    April 2002 in “ PubMed ”
    Aya Ikawa, Yoshiyuki Ishii, Kazuhiko Suzuki, Akira Yasoshima, Nao Suzuki, Hiroyuki Nakayama, Shunya Takahashi, Kazuteru Doi
    TLDR Mini rats have thinner skin, more fat, and different hair cycles than Wistar rats due to lower growth hormone levels.
    This study compared age-related changes in dorsal skin histology between Mini rats (MRs) with suppressed growth hormone (GH) expression and Wistar rats (WRs). MRs exhibited thinner skin with less collagen, more subcutaneous adipose tissue, and smaller sebaceous glands compared to WRs. Notably, the hair cycle differed significantly; MRs entered a prolonged telogen phase after two 4-week cycles, while WRs began a third cycle. The difference in hair cycle patterns may be linked to lower serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 levels in MRs, despite similar IGF-1 and IGF-1 receptor mRNA levels in skin tissues. MRs were considered a valuable model for studying dermatopathy related to GH deficiency and understanding GH's effects on skin and hair follicle development.
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