Hair-Follicle Dermal Papilla and Sheath Fibroblasts Provide a Supportive Microenvironment for Human Skin Regeneration
hair-follicle dermal papilla dermal sheath fibroblasts human skin regeneration epidermal tissue regeneration skin replacement therapies interfollicular skin regeneration organotypic cultures epithelial proliferation epithelial differentiation basement membrane assembly 3D skin constructs skin transplantation hair-follicle cells skin regeneration skin therapies skin grafts skin constructs skin transplants
TLDR Certain cells around hair follicles help improve skin regeneration for potential use in skin grafts.
The document discusses a study by Higgins et al. that demonstrates the role of hair-follicle-associated dermal cell populations, specifically dermal papilla and dermal sheath fibroblasts, in supporting complete human epidermal tissue regeneration. This finding is significant for skin replacement therapies, especially for patients with extensive skin loss where autografting is not viable. The study shows that these fibroblasts can support interfollicular skin regeneration in organotypic cultures, leading to a full program of epithelial proliferation and differentiation. The quality of the regenerated skin was improved with these fibroblasts compared to homotypic interfollicular dermal fibroblasts, particularly in terms of basement membrane assembly. The evidence suggests that hair follicle-associated fibroblasts could be used in clinical applications to create 3D skin constructs for transplantation without compromising skin integrity. The number of people involved in the study was not mentioned.
