Contribution to Hair Medulla Study

    January 1981 in “ PubMed ”
    Clément Jl, Le Pareux A, Ceccaldi Pf
    Studysummary This study found that medullary cell content in mammal hair evolves from an amorphous form to a biphasic phase, with human and anthropoid hair containing both macrofibrils and microfibrils. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
    The study by J L Clément et al. focused on the anatomical characteristics of hair medullary cells across different mammalian genera. It was found that the medulla and inner root sheath are sulfur-poor but rich in citrulline, with proteins bound by epsilon(gammaglutamyl)lysine dipeptides. Observations using SEM and TEM revealed that medullary cells are complex and evolve differently among mammals. In superior mammals, medullary cells transition to a biphasic or granular phase, while in humans and closely related anthropoids, they contain macrofibrils and microfibrils. These microfibrils are similar to those in the inner root sheath, explaining the presence of citrulline and epsilon(gammaglutamyl)lysine bonds in medullary cells.
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