Early-Age-Dependent Selective Decrease of Differentiation Potential of Hair-Follicle-Associated Pluripotent Stem Cells to Beating Cardiac-Muscle Cells

The study found that hair-follicle-associated pluripotent (HAP) stem cells from mouse vibrissa hair follicles had a higher potential to differentiate into beating cardiac-muscle cells at 4 weeks of age compared to older mice (10, 20, and 40 weeks). This differentiation efficiency was higher in whisker follicles near the ear than those near the nose. Despite the decline in cardiac differentiation potential with age, the ability of HAP stem cells to differentiate into other cell types remained unchanged, and stem cell marker expression levels did not vary significantly with age. The study suggested cryopreservation and potential rejuvenation treatments to preserve and enhance the regenerative potential of HAP stem cells.