Studies on the Biochemistry and Morphology of Freshly Isolated and Maintained Rat Hair Follicles

The study demonstrated that rat hair follicles could be viably maintained in vitro for 7 days on permeable supports, as evidenced by various biochemical and morphological assessments. However, after this period, the follicles resembled the telogen (resting) phase rather than the anagen (growth) phase. The researchers concluded that previous failures in maintaining hair growth in culture were likely due to the follicles prematurely entering the resting stage of the hair growth cycle, possibly as a response to isolation.