Researchers succeeded in generating fully mature hair follicles in culture

A team of Japanese researchers studying the process of hair follicle growth and pigmentation has successfully generated hair follicles in culture.their in vitro Hair follicle models may improve our understanding of hair follicle development and contribute to the development of useful applications in the treatment of hair loss disorders, animal experiments, and drug screening.

Their findings were scientific progress October 21st.

As the embryo develops, an interaction takes place between the outer layer of the skin, called the epidermal layer, and the connective tissue, called the mesenchyme. These interactions are like a messenger system that triggers hair follicle morphogenesis. Morphogenesis is the biological process by which cells organize into tissues and organs.

In the past decades, scientists have used animal models to investigate key mechanisms associated with hair follicle development. Hair follicle morphogenesis has not been successfully recapitulated in laboratory culture dishes because it remains difficult to fully understand these mechanisms of hair follicle development.

Recently, organoid culture has received widespread attention. Organoids are smaller, simpler versions of organs. Scientists create and use organoids to study the development and pathology of tissues and organs in laboratory dishes. “Organoids were a promising tool for elucidating the mechanisms of hair follicle morphogenesis in vitrosays Tatsuto Kageyama, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Engineering, Yokohama National University.

The research team created hair follicle organoids by using very low concentrations of extracellular matrix to control the structures generated from two types of embryonic cells. The extracellular matrix is ​​the framework in the body that provides the structure of cells and tissues. The extracellular matrix adjusted the spacing between the two types of embryonic cells from a dumbbell shape to a core-shell configuration. Newly formed follicles with typical features appeared in core-shell shaped groups. These core-shell shaped groups increase the contact area between the two cell regions and strengthen the mechanisms that contribute to hair follicle growth.

The organoid culture system developed by the research team generated hair follicles and hair shafts with nearly 100% efficiency. Hair follicle organoids generated fully mature hair follicles with long hair shafts (approximately 3 mm long in 23 days of culture).As this growth occurred, researchers were able to monitor follicle morphogenesis and hair pigmentation. in vitro Understand the signaling pathways involved in the process.

Researchers investigated the feasibility of hair follicle organoids for drug screening and regenerative medicine. A melanocyte stimulant, which plays an important role in causing pigmentation of hair color, was then added to the culture. By adding this drug, researchers significantly improved pigmentation in hair-like fibers. did.they believe in vitro Hair follicle models may prove valuable for better understanding of hair follicle induction, assessment of hair pigmentation and hair growth agents, and hair follicle regeneration.

The researchers’ findings may also prove relevant to other organ systems and contribute to our understanding of how physiological and pathological processes occur. Looking ahead to future research, the team plans to optimize the organoid culture system with human cells. “Our next step is to use human-derived cells and apply them to drug discovery and regenerative medicine,” said Junji Fukuda, professor of engineering at Yokohama National University.

Their future work may open new research avenues for developing new treatment strategies for hair loss disorders such as androgenic alopecia, which are common in both men and women.

The research team includes Yokohama National University, Kanagawa Prefectural Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and Tatsuto Kageyama of the Japan Science and Technology Agency. Mr. Akihiro Shimizu, Mr. Chikara Anama, Mr. Rikuma Nakajima, and Mr. Kohei Suzuki from Yokohama National University. Yusuke Okubo of the National Institute of Health Sciences. Junji Fukuda of Yokohama National University and Kanagawa Prefectural Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.

Funding was provided by the Japan Science and Technology Agency.Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Kanagawa Prefectural Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Sumitomo Foundation, Hoya Foundation for Science, Kao Melanin Research Group