Experimental Study on Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor 165 Gene-Modified Rat Hair Follicle Stem Cells Mediated by Lentiviral Vector

The study aimed to obtain rat hair follicle stem cells (rHFSCs) that could consistently express vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (VEGF165) using a lentiviral vector. The researchers successfully isolated, cultured, and purified rHFSCs, which demonstrated strong adhesion and colony formation abilities. The cells were confirmed to express specific markers of hair follicle stem cells, such as cytokeratin 15 and integrins, while showing low expression of epidermal stem cell markers. The transfection efficiency of the VEGF165 gene was high, with 85.76% success after 14 days. The study concluded that rHFSCs with high VEGF165 expression could be obtained through lentiviral transfection, providing valuable cells for tissue engineering applications, including the construction of artificial hair follicles, blood vessels, and skin.