Abstract
Human skin harbours multiple different stem cell populations. In contrast to the relatively well-characterized niches of epidermal and hair follicle stem cells, the localization and niches of stem cells in other human skin compartments are as yet insufficiently investigated. Previously, we had shown in a pilot study that human sweat gland stroma contains Nestin-positive stem cells. Isolated sweat gland stroma-derived stem cells (SGSCs) proliferated in vitro and expressed Nestin in 80% of the cells. In this study, we were able to determine the precise localization of Nestin-positive cells in both eccrine and apocrine sweat glands of human axillary skin. We established a reproducible isolation procedure and characterized the spontaneous, long-lasting multipotent differentiation capacity of SGSCs. Thereby, a pronounced ectodermal differentiation was observed. Moreover, the secretion of prominent cytokines demonstrated the immunological potential of SGSCs. The comparison to human adult epidermal stem cells (EpiSCs) and bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) revealed differences in protein expression and differentiation capacity. Furthermore, we found a coexpression of the stem cell markers Nestin and Iα6 within SGSCs and human sweat gland stroma. In conclusion the initial results of the pilot study were confirmed, indicating that human sweat glands are a new source of unique stem cells with multilineage differentiation potential, high proliferation capacity and remarkable self renewal. With regard to the easy accessibility of skin tissue biopsies, an autologous application of SGSCs in clinical therapies appears promising.
Highlights
Adult stem cells are considered to be the source for the restitution of lost cells during wound healing
Eccrine and apocrine glands are in immediate vicinity, sometimes they were entwined around each other (Figure 1B, halted line)
Discrimination of eccrine and apocrine sweat glands was achieved by immunofluorescence (IF) staining of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and Mucin (Figure 1C, D)
Summary
Adult stem cells are considered to be the source for the restitution of lost cells during wound healing They are recognized as key players in tissue regeneration. Nestinpositive cells derived from rodent hair follicles have already been documented to differentiate in vitro to neurons, glial cells, keratinocytes, and other cell types [7]. These cells can promote regeneration of peripheral nerve and spinal cord injuries upon injection to the injured nerve or spinal cord [18,19]. Skin wound healing impact was verified using rodent derived Nestin-positive stem cells [20,21]. The use of an obtainable tissue with high yield of Nestin-positive cells is crucial for a successful clinical application
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