Inductive Capacity of Irradiated Dermal Papillae
February 1977
in “
Nature
”
Studysummary This study found that high doses of irradiation can cause permanent hair loss in rats by destroying the epithelial elements of the hair follicle, while leaving the dermal papilla intact and capable of inducing new hair growth upon transplantation. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The study published in 1977 investigated the effects of heavy doses of irradiation on the dermal papilla and epithelial elements of hair follicles. It was found that while high doses of irradiation caused permanent hair loss by destroying the epithelium, the dermal papilla remained anatomically and functionally intact. This intact dermal papilla, even after transplantation, was capable of inducing the growth of new hairs. This finding suggested that the dermal papilla played a crucial role in hair regeneration and could maintain its inductive capacity despite irradiation.
