TLDR Choosing hair follicles at the same growth stage leads to more consistent hair growth experiments.
The study from 2005 investigated whether selecting human hair follicles based on their in vivo growth rate could improve the consistency of ex vivo hair follicle culture results. Occipital scalp samples from three volunteers were used to isolate anagen VI follicles, which were then categorized into four groups and some were cultured for six days. The results showed that in vitro hair growth was closely correlated with in vivo hair growth rates, and that minoxidil significantly increased hair growth in follicles presumed to be at a similar early anagen VI stage. This suggests that selecting follicles at a specific growth stage can lead to more reliable hair follicle organ culture experiments. The study involved a small number of participants (three) and a range of 11 to 15 hair follicles per group. The research was funded by the Korea Health 21 R&D Project, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea.
35 citations,
March 2005 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Potassium channel openers like minoxidil help hair grow by acting on hair follicles.
30 citations,
September 2004 in “Experimental Dermatology” Scalp hair follicle culture has limits for testing minoxidil's hair growth effects.
25 citations,
June 2004 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Macrophage-stimulating protein helps hair grow and can start hair growth phase in mice and human hair samples.
45 citations,
June 2003 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings” Understanding hair follicles through various models can help develop new treatments for hair disorders.
34 citations,
December 2000 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” Rat vibrissa follicles are useful for studying hair growth cycles, especially the transition from pro-anagen to anagen.
78 citations,
March 1987 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Minoxidil promotes hair growth but stops working when discontinued.
5 citations,
November 2015 in “International Journal of Radiation Biology” Gamma-ray exposure can cause long-lasting damage to hair follicles, affecting hair structure and color.
4 citations,
January 2015 in “International Journal of Trichology” Transplanted hair follicles can change and adapt to new areas of the body, with the immune system possibly playing a role in this adjustment.
27 citations,
November 2005 in “Archives of Dermatological Research” Choosing hair follicles at the same growth stage leads to more consistent hair growth experiments.
8 citations,
September 2002 in “Genes to Cells” Killing specific cells in hair follicles can lead to hair growth problems in mice.
20 citations,
January 1995 in “Cells tissues organs” Changing light periods synchronized wool growth cycles in sheep.
