Engineered Skin Substitute Regenerates Skin with Hair Follicle Formation

The document reports on a study where an engineered skin substitute (ESS) containing skin-derived precursors (SKPs) and epidermal stem cells (Epi-SCs) was used to regenerate skin with hair follicles on nude mice. The SKPs were seeded into a collagen-glycosaminoglycan (C-GAG) matrix, which showed improved biomechanical properties and supported SKP viability and gene expression related to hair follicle induction. When grafted onto the mice, the ESS with SKPs led to the formation of black hairs within 3 weeks, and histological analysis confirmed the presence of hair follicles and sebaceous glands. The study suggests that SKPs can enhance the ability of ESS to regenerate hair-bearing skin, which has implications for treating skin injuries and hair loss conditions. The number of mice and samples used in the study was not provided in the summary.