Hair Regeneration Under Stress
May 2018
in “
Journal of Investigative Dermatology
”
TLDR Mice can regrow hair on wounds due to specific cell interactions and mechanical forces not seen in rats.
In the 2018 study by Guerrero-Juarez et al., researchers investigated the reasons behind species-specific wound-induced hair neogenesis (WIHN), which is observed in mice but not typically in rats. Through morphological, immunofluorescent, and expression profiling analyses, they discovered that a complex interaction of signals among epithelial, mesenchymal, and inflammatory cells triggers hair follicle formation in mice. The study also emphasized the role of the mechanical environment within the wound, indicating that tensional forces and extracellular matrix dynamics are crucial in determining whether WIHN occurs. The authors suggested that future research should aim to manipulate these pathways to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms essential for WIHN. The number of animals used in the study was not mentioned.