Glycoconjugate expression of cells of human anagen hair follicles during keratinization

The study investigated glycoconjugate expression in human anagen hair follicles using lectin histochemistry. It found that Concanavalin A and Ricinus communis stained hair follicle cells at all differentiation stages. Ulex europeaus-I and Glycine max showed specific binding patterns in the inner root sheath (IRS) and outer root sheath (ORS) during keratinization. UEA-I bound to IRS cells early in differentiation, while SBA staining increased as differentiation progressed. ORS cells showed unique sugar moieties not present in other keratinocytes, indicating complex carbohydrate metabolism. The study highlighted that innermost ORS cells differentiate independently but are influenced by IRS keratinization.