Generation of Trichogenic Adipose-Derived Stem Cells by Expression of Three Factors

The study from October 1, 2018, investigated the creation of trichogenic adipose-derived stem cells (tfASCs) by genetically modifying adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) to overexpress three factors: PDGF-A, SOX2, and β-catenin. The tfASCs exhibited characteristics similar to dermal papilla (DP) cells, crucial for hair follicle formation, such as smaller size, shorter doubling time, resistance to aging, and the ability to be expanded until passage 12. They also showed increased cell cycle activity, higher mRNA levels of cell cycle-related genes, and a gene expression profile similar to DP cells. In vivo, tfASCs accelerated the transition from the telogen to anagen phase in hair follicles and induced new hair follicle formation in nude mice. The study concluded that tfASCs have enhanced hair-regenerative potential and could be promising for hair regeneration therapy. The number of mice used in one of the experiments was 6 per group.