Induction of Osteoblastic Differentiation of Neural Crest-Derived Stem Cells from Hair Follicles

The study demonstrated that neural crest-derived hair follicle cells from mice could be induced to differentiate into osteoblast-like cells, suggesting potential for bone regenerative therapies. Using whisker follicles from protein zero-Cre/floxed-EGFP double transgenic mice, researchers cultured and treated these cells, finding that 95% proliferated and 76.2% expressed mesenchymal stem cell markers. The cells expressed osteogenic markers and produced mineralized matrices when stimulated with bone morphogenetic protein-2. Additionally, the presence of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 altered expression of osteoprotegerin and induced RANKL production, leading to the formation of multinucleated osteoclasts in co-cultures. These findings highlighted the osteoblastic differentiation potential of NC-derived hair follicle cells.