A Pig Model Exploring the Postnatal Hair Follicle Cycle

This study developed a pig model to explore the postnatal hair follicle (HF) cycle, aiming to provide a suitable model for human hair research. Researchers collected skin samples from 10 Yorkshire pigs at various postnatal stages to classify the HF cycle into anagen, catagen, and telogen phases. The study found that pigs and humans share similarities in HF morphology and gene expression patterns, suggesting pigs as a promising model for studying human HF development and disorders. Key genes such as CD34, AE15, and Versican were analyzed, showing their expression at different HF cycle stages. This model could facilitate further research on hair growth disorders and HF cycle abnormalities.