From Hair to Liver: Emerging Application of Hair Follicle Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation Reverses Liver Cirrhosis by Blocking the TGF-β/Smad Signaling Pathway to Inhibit Pathological HSC Activation

Hair follicle mesenchymal stem cells (HF-MSCs) show promise in treating liver cirrhosis (LC) by improving liver function and reducing liver pathology in a C57BL/6J mouse model. Injected HF-MSCs were found in the injured liver, expressing hepatocyte-specific markers, and inhibiting the pathological activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). The treatment also reversed the increased levels of TGF-β1 and p-Smad3, suggesting that HF-MSCs may reverse LC by blocking the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. These findings support the potential application of HF-MSCs in treating LC.