Mechanical Stimulation of Human Hair Follicle Outer Root Sheath Cultures Activates Adjacent Sensory Neurons

The study "Mechanical stimulation of human hair follicle outer root sheath cultures activates adjacent sensory neurons" found that hair follicle outer root sheath cells can act as transducers of mechanical stimuli to sensory neurons surrounding the hair follicle. The researchers discovered that these cells release ATP, serotonin, and histamine in response to mechanical stimulation, leading to the activation of sensory neurons. The study also revealed that these cells have mechanosensory properties that can modulate the response of low-threshold mechanoreceptors (LTMRs). The researchers concluded that human hair follicle outer root sheath cells and LTMRs form a neuroepithelial unit involved in the detection of tactile stimuli. The study involved the analysis of 18,832 cells from the human anagen hair dataset and 23,813 cells from the healthy skin dataset.