Implantation of newborn mice skin cells with chamber method to construct a model of hair follicle development / 中华整形外科杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To construct a convenient, reliable and visual model of hair follicle development to test the hair-inductive potential of follicular cells and investigate the molecular mechanism regulating hair follicle morphogenesis and cycling.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>An open chamber was transplanted into the nude mice dorsal skin, dermal and epidermal cells isolated from newborn C57BL/6 mice skin were mixed at a specific ratio and then injected into the chamber together, 1 week after transplantation, the chamber was removed, and then, hair formation and regeneration after hair plucking was observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>1 week after cells implantation, the wound was moist without apparent contraction and among that pink and translucent tissue was formed. 2 weeks after implantation, the wound healed completely. 3 weeks after implantation, black hair grew from the skin was observed. 4 weeks after implantation, thick and black hair grew from the skin vertically. Completely developed structure of hair follicle was observed with paraffin section and HE staining. 1 week after plucking, new hair had regrown. The ratio of cell component was varied, whereas the other component was fixed at 1 x 10(7) cells. When the number of epidermal cells was reduced to 1 x 10(6) cells, the efficiency of hair follicle reconstitution was mostly unchanged. On the other hand, the density of newly formed hair was diminished considerably by reducing the number of dermal cells to 5 x 10(6) cells or lower. Neither epidermal cells nor dermal cells transplanted alone formed hair follicle.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Newborn mice skin cells transplanted by chamber method can construct a complete model of hair follicle development, which can be used to test the hair-inductive potential of follicular cells and investigate the molecular mechanism regulating hair follicle morphogenesis and cycling.</p>