Isoproterenol Directs Human Hair Follicle-Associated Pluripotent Stem Cells to Differentiate to Cardiac Muscle Cells

The study demonstrated that human hair follicle-associated pluripotent (hHAP) stem cells, which are nestin-positive and keratin 15-negative, could differentiate into various cell types, including cardiac muscle cells, neurons, glial cells, keratinocytes, and smooth muscle cells. The upper part of human scalp hair follicles showed the highest potential for differentiation. When cultured in 10%FBS-DMEM supplemented with isoproterenol, the number of cardiac muscle cells derived from hHAP stem cells increased. This finding suggested that human hair follicles could be a viable source for producing HAP cells in sufficient quantities for heart, nerve, and spinal cord regeneration in clinical applications.