TLDR Neurons from hair follicles can help repair damaged nerves.
The study described the construction of tissue-engineered nerve conduits using neurons derived from hair-follicle neural crest stem cells (hfNCSCs) to repair peripheral nerve injuries with long defects. These hfNCSCs-derived neurons were seeded into acellular sciatic nerve scaffolds from beagles, which maintained intact collagen structure, biocompatibility, and low toxicity. The goal was to develop a novel therapeutic approach for repairing long-distance peripheral nerve injuries.
319 citations
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November 2005 in “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” Hair follicle stem cells can help repair damaged nerves.
419 citations
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March 2005 in “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” Hair-follicle stem cells can become neurons.
352 citations
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August 2003 in “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” Nestin is found in hair follicle progenitor cells, linking them to neural stem cells.
February 2025 in “FASEB BioAdvances” Verteporfin reduces growth and stem cell traits in rat hair follicle cells by blocking the Hippo pathway.
11 citations
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February 2019 in “Stem cells international” Skin-derived stem cells grow faster and are easier to obtain than hair follicle stem cells, but both can become various cell types.
February 2020 in “Journal of chemical neuroanatomy” Researchers found a way to make rat hair follicle cells start turning into motor neuron-like cells, but couldn't fully turn them into working motor neurons.
3 citations
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August 2014 in “Cellular reprogramming” Hair follicle stem cells need all reprogramming factors to become pluripotent.
9 citations
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September 2021 in “Stem Cell Reviews and Reports” Hair follicle stem cells from aged eyelid skin can become corneal endothelial-like cells for potential eye treatments.
