Isolating Dermal Papilla Cells from Human Hair Follicles Using Microdissection and Enzyme Digestion

January 2020 in “ Methods in molecular biology ”

Summik Limbu, Claire A. Higgins

dermal papilla cells hair follicles mesenchymal cells epithelial stem cells matrix cells melanocytes androgenetic alopecia hair shaft hair loss microdissection enzyme digestion DP cells hair roots stem cells hair thinning baldness

TLDR The method successfully isolates cells that are important for hair growth and could help study hair loss.

The document from 2020 detailed a method for isolating dermal papilla (DP) cells from human hair follicles. The DP, a cluster of mesenchymal cells at the base of the hair follicle, interacts with various other cell types within the follicle, such as epithelial stem cells, matrix cells, and melanocytes, and regulates their function. The size of the DP is directly proportional to the width of the hair shaft, and a decrease in both cell number and DP size is observed in hair loss conditions like androgenetic alopecia. However, microdissected ex vivo DP can instruct the growth of new hair follicles. The study of DP cells and their role in human hair growth has often been hampered by the technical challenge of DP isolation and culture, which this method aimed to address.

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