Abstract
Hair follicle dermal papilla cells (HFDPC) are a specialized cell population located in the bulge of the hair follicle with unique characteristics such as aggregative behavior and the ability to induce new hair follicle formation. However, when expanded in conventional 2D monolayer culture, their hair inductive potency is rapidly lost. Different 3D culture techniques, including cell spheroid formation, have been described to restore, at least partially, their original phenotype, and therefore, their hair inductive ability once transplanted into a recipient skin. Moreover, hair follicle dermal papilla cells have been shown to differentiate into all mesenchymal lineages, but their differentiation potential has only been tested in 2D cultures. In the present work, we have cultured HFDPC in the 3D self-assembling peptide scaffold RAD16-I to test two different tissue engineering scenarios: restoration of HFDPC original phenotype after cell expansion and osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. Experimental results showed that the 3D environment provided by RAD16-I allowed the restoration of HFDPC signature markers such as alkaline phosphatase, versican and corin. Moreover, RAD16-I supported, in the presence of chemical inductors, three-dimensional osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. Altogether, this study suggests a potential 3D culture platform based on RAD16-I suitable for the culture, original phenotype recovery and differentiation of HFDPC.
Highlights
Hair loss is a common problem for men and women that influences quality of life since it can result in a loss of self-esteem and depression
The goal of the present study is to culture and restore human hair follicle dermal papilla cells phenotype in RAD16-I scaffold, as well as to differentiate them toward osteogenic and adipogenic lineages to test its multipotent capacity in a three-dimensional environment
Human hair follicle papilla cells were expanded to passage 6 in conventional 2D monolayer culture and encapsulated in 3D scaffolds at two different RAD16-I peptide concentrations: 0.15%, which corresponds to a stiffness of approximately 120 Pa, and 0.3%, corresponding to approximately 510 Pa, as determined by Sieminski et al [41] by rheological analysis
Summary
Hair loss is a common problem for men and women that influences quality of life since it can result in a loss of self-esteem and depression. Loss of the expression of the extracellular matrix protein versican as well as the enzyme alkaline phosphatase have been correlated with the loss of hair inductive capabilities [3] Another hallmark of cultured HFDPC is their strong switch to α-Smooth muscle actin (αSMA) expression, which is not present in the in vivo dermal papilla [4]. Spheroid cultures have some limitations, such as the inability for long-term culture, the difficulty to handle them, as well as scaling up the production Another described strategy to restore HFDPC phenotype has been to culture them in three-dimensional scaffolds based on natural biomaterials such as cross-linked gelatin/hyaluronic acid [11] Matrigel [12] and alginate spheres [13] which could mimic their natural extracellular matrix
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
