Potency of Implanting Microencapsulated Human Hair Dermal Papilla Cells to Induce Hair Follicle Formation

The study investigated the ability of microencapsulated human hair dermal papilla cells to induce hair follicle formation in nude mice. Human scalp hair dermal papilla cells were isolated, encapsulated in alginate-polylysine-alginate, and implanted into the dorsal skin of the mice. After 4 weeks, the treated mice developed white, thick, and regularly spaced hairs, with fully developed hair follicles visible under microscopy. In contrast, control groups with free dermal papilla cells or empty microcapsules did not show similar hair growth. The results indicated that microencapsulated dermal papilla cells maintained their inductive properties and were effective in hair follicle neogenesis without species specificity.