Background: Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) are responsible for controlling the hair cycle. These cells also have the ability to regenerate new hair follicles. This ability to regenerate hair follicles, or dermal papillae (DP), correlates with the aggregative characteristic of DPCs. In vitro, DPCs lose their aggregative behavior during cell expansion, and hence their ability to induce hair follicles after transplantation. Manual or forced aggregation of late passaged DPCs may be a way of generating viable, follicle forming DPs.
Aim: To generate and characterise manually aggregated DPCs with the aim of inducing the formation of follicle competent aggregates.
Methods: DPCs were manually aggregated in Terasaki plates with approximately 20,000 DPCs seeded per well. Immunofluorescence studies were performed using DPC markers, such as alkaline phosphatase, corin, and CD133/prominin-1.
Result: One day after the cells were seeded to Terasaki well, the DPCs demonstrated aggregate formation. The induced aggregates were then characterized by immunofluorescence to assess DPC-related markers.
Conclusion: Late passaged DPC can be manually induced to form aggregates that potentially have the ability to generate de novo hair follicles.
Significance: Aggregated DPCs may be transplanted in patients with baldness to promote hair regeneration.