Use of primary keratinocyte cultures from plucked human hairs for analysis of gap junctional intercellular communication

The study demonstrated that primary keratinocyte cultures derived from plucked human hairs were effective for analyzing gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC). These cultures were used to assess the tumor-promoting activity of environmental chemicals. The research found that the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) inhibited GJIC in a manner similar to its effect on mouse primary epidermal keratinocytes. The study concluded that hair follicle cultures were suitable for GJIC studies and potentially other in vitro assays requiring attached cells.