The effect of ovine secreted soluble factors on human dermal papilla cell aggregation

Abstract

Context: In androgenetic alopecia, follicular miniaturization and dynamic changes to the hair cycle produce patterned baldness. The most effective treatment for baldness is hair transplantation surgery. The major limitation to hair transplantation is the availability of donor hair from the relatively unaffected occipital scalp. Hair induction with in vitro expansion of donor follicle populations has the potential to overcome this. The major obstacle to this is that in vitro expansion of human dermal papilla cell (DPC) colonies is associated with irreversible loss of aggregative behavior and hair follicle-inductive potential. In contrast, cultured ovine DPCs maintain these properties after ex..