Isoproterenol Directs Hair Follicle-Associated Pluripotent (HAP) Stem Cells to Differentiate In Vitro to Cardiac Muscle Cells Which Can Be Induced to Form Beating Heart-Muscle Tissue Sheets

The study demonstrated that nestin-expressing hair-follicle-associated pluripotent (HAP) stem cells, located in the bulge area of hair follicles, could differentiate into beating cardiac muscle cells in vitro, especially when stimulated by isoproterenol. The differentiation was most effective in the upper part of the follicle. The addition of activin A, bone morphogenetic protein 4, and basic fibroblast growth factor, along with isoproterenol, further induced these cardiac muscle cells to form tissue sheets of beating heart muscle cells. This highlighted the significant potential of HAP stem cells in cardiac muscle cell formation and tissue engineering.