TLDR Nerve growth in mouse skin and hair follicles happens in stages and is closely linked to hair development.
The study investigated the developmental timing of hair follicle and dorsal skin innervation in C57BL/6 mice using immunofluorescence and neuronal markers. It found that skin innervation occurred in successive waves, starting at embryonic day 15 (E15) before hair follicle development. By embryonic day 16 (E16), nerve fibers were associated with developing hair follicles, and by embryonic day 18 (E18), additional nerve fibers formed around the isthmus and bulge region of stage 5 hair follicles. The innervation pattern observed in newly formed hair follicles at E18 and postnatal day 1 (P1) was similar to the first wave. Epidermal innervation peaked just before hair shaft penetration at postnatal day 5 (P5) and decreased afterward. The study concluded that the sequence of innervation closely correlated with hair follicle development, indicating an interdependence between neuronal and epithelial morphogenesis.
101 citations,
January 1997 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings” Nerves and chemicals in the body can affect hair growth and loss.
9 citations,
October 1994 in “Brain Research” Fetal sheep develop skin nerve pathways and responses to touch and heat between 75 and 134 days of gestation.
January 2022 in “Journal of St. Marianna University” Substances from human hair cells can affect hair loss-related genes, potentially leading to new treatments for baldness.
15 citations,
April 2014 in “Experimental Dermatology” Scientists developed a system to study human hair growth using skin cells, which could help understand hair development and improve skin substitutes for medical use.
321 citations,
December 2009 in “Journal of Dermatological Science” Dermal cells are key in controlling hair growth and could potentially be used in hair loss treatments, but more research is needed to improve hair regeneration methods.
January 2003 in “Chinese Journal of Reparative and Reconstructive Surgery” Dermal papilla cells can help form hair follicles and produce hair.
66 citations,
August 2001 in “Experimental Dermatology” Human hair follicle cells can grow hair when put into mouse skin if they stay in contact with mouse cells.
57 citations,
November 1998 in “Wound Repair and Regeneration” Hair papilla cells can create and regenerate hair bulbs under the right conditions.
