title: Hair follicle melanocyte cells as a renewable source of melanocytes for culture and transplantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Advances in melanocyte culture techniques have not yet led to reliable clinical methods for treating hypopigmentation disorders. We hypothesized that melanocytes harvested from plucked hair follicles may provide a renewable source of melanocytes for the treatment of hypopigmentation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hairs with attached cells from the follicles were plucked from Yucatan pigs and implanted in a collagen-glycosaminoglycan matrix for either immediate or delayed implantation into full-thickness excisional porcine wounds. Wounds were allowed to heal and were biopsied at 2 and 4 weeks, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fully healed wounds with transplanted hair follicles showed central areas of dark pigmentation corresponding to the location of implanted hair follicles. Corresponding collagen-glycosaminoglycan matrix wounds showed no central areas of pigmentation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hair follicle--derived melanocytes may potentially serve as a renewable source of pigment-producing cells for treating hypopigmentation disorders.
authors: Tissue Engineering and Wound Healing Laboratory, Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors: Ho
authors: H
authors: Kwon
authors: Perry H
authors: PH
authors: Liu
authors: Dae-Hyun
authors: DH
authors: Lew
authors: Emi
authors: E
authors: Nishimura
authors: Dennis P
authors: DP
authors: Orgill