Androgen Action and 3D Culture Conditions Influence Dermal Papilla Cells' Inductive Properties: The Role of Wnt Agonists/Antagonists Balance
September 2016
in “
Journal of Investigative Dermatology
”
dihydrotestosterone DHT Wnt signaling dermal papilla cells DPCs hair follicle stem cell differentiation HFSC differentiation Wnt agonists Wnt 5a Wnt 10b Wnt antagonist DKK-1 androgenetic alopecia 3D culture conditions DPC-spheroids Wnt pathway hair follicle stem cells HFSCs Wnt proteins androgenic alopecia
TLDR DHT reduces a cell's ability to promote hair growth, while 3D culture without DHT improves it.
The study from 2016 examined how dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and 3D culture conditions affect Wnt signaling in dermal papilla cells (DPCs) and their capacity to induce hair follicle stem cell (HFSC) differentiation. Results showed that DHT decreased Wnt agonists (Wnt 5a and Wnt 10b) and increased the Wnt antagonist DKK-1 in DPC cultures, which hindered the DPCs' ability to promote HFSC differentiation, a process potentially contributing to hair loss in androgenetic alopecia. DPC-spheroids maintained in 3D culture without DHT had higher levels of Wnt agonists, suggesting that 3D culture conditions support the activation of the Wnt pathway and the hair-inductive properties of DPCs.
