Cultured Peribulbar Dermal Sheath Cells Can Induce Hair Follicle Development and Contribute to the Dermal Sheath and Dermal Papilla

In the 2003 study by McElwee et al., cultured peribulbar dermal sheath cells (DSCs) and dermal papilla (DP) cells from mouse vibrissa follicles were found to induce hair follicle development when implanted into mouse ears and footpads. The study showed that both DP and DSC cells could form new hair follicles and contribute to the dermal structures, with visible hair growth observed as early as 4 weeks after implantation. Nonbulbar dermal sheath cells did not induce hair growth. Implanted green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing DP and DSC cells formed new dermal papillae, some of which were chimeric, consisting of both implanted and host cells. Alkaline phosphatase activity was identified as a marker for cells with hair follicle-inducing capabilities. The results suggest that cell transplantation could be a viable method for treating hair loss, with successful hair growth induction in 4/4 DSC and DP cell implants in Scid mouse ears, 12/12 DP cell implants in Scid mouse ears, and 5/5 DSC cell implants in Scid mouse footpads.