Hair Follicle Associated Pluripotent (HAP) Stem Cells from Young Mice Have the Greatest Potential to Differentiate to Cardiac Muscle Cells

The study demonstrated that hair-follicle-associated pluripotent (HAP) stem cells from young mice, specifically 4-week-old mice, had the highest potential to differentiate into cardiac muscle cells compared to older mice (10, 20, and 40 weeks old). The differentiation potential significantly decreased by 10 weeks of age. However, the ability of HAP stem cells to differentiate into other cell types did not diminish with age. These findings suggested that early-age HAP stem cells could be cryopreserved for future regenerative medicine applications, particularly for heart disease.