Osteopontin of Skin and Hair Follicle of Rat

The study investigated osteopontin mRNA in the skin and hair follicles of Wistar rats, focusing on changes during different hair cycle phases. Using radiolabel in situ hybridization, researchers found that osteopontin mRNA signals appeared in the dermal papilla (DP) of hair follicles at 18 days old, peaking in the middle of the catagen phase and disappearing during the telogen and anagen phases. The mRNA was primarily located in follicular dermal papillary cells, connective tissue sheath, and neighboring dermal macrophages. The findings suggested that osteopontin might play a role in promoting growth and differentiation of dermal papilla during the catagen phase.