The mineralization of hair follicle tissue
January 1973
in “
Calcified Tissue International
”
TLDR Hair follicle tissue can induce mineral formation, likely due to a potent nucleator.
The study from 1973 investigated the mineralization of hair follicle tissue in calcium phosphate solutions, revealing that uninjured hair follicle tissue could effectively induce mineral formation at low supersaturation levels, suggesting the presence of a potent nucleator of calcium phosphate. This nucleator might have been responsible for the initial localization of mineral deposits during skin calcification in vivo. Hair clippings without follicle tissue showed limited nucleating ability. The nucleating ability of lyophilized and stored follicle tissue was lost but could be partially restored with mercaptoethanol, indicating the involvement of sulfhydryl groups. The mineral precipitated was nodular and contained octacalcium phosphate and hydroxyapatite, as shown by X-ray diffraction. Soluble follicle proteins inhibited crystal growth and secondary nucleation, differing from the nucleation by insoluble follicle proteins.
