title: Isolation, expansion and neural differentiation of stem cells from human plucked hair: a further step towards autologous nerve recovery.
abstract: Stem cells from the adult hair follicle bulge can differentiate into neurons and glia, which is advantageous for the development of an autologous cell-based therapy for neurological diseases. Consequently, bulge stem cells from plucked hair may increase opportunities for personalized neuroregenerative therapy. Hairs were plucked from the scalps of healthy donors, and the bulges were cultured without prior tissue treatment. Shortly after outgrowth from the bulge, cellular protein expression was established immunohistochemically. The doubling time was calculated upon expansion, and the viability of expanded, cryopreserved cells was assessed after shear stress. The neuroglial differentiation potential was assessed from cryopreserved cells. Shortly after outgrowth, the cells were immunopositive for nestin, SLUG, AP-2α and SOX9, and negative for SOX10. Each bulge yielded approximately 1 × 10(4) cells after three passages. Doubling time was 3.3 (±1.5) days. Cellular viability did not differ significantly from control cells after shear stress. The cells expressed class III β-tubulin (TUBB3) and synapsin-1 after 3 weeks of neuronal differentiation. Glial differentiation yielded KROX20- and MPZ-immunopositive cells after 2 weeks. We demonstrated that human hair follicle bulge-derived stem cells can be cultivated easily, expanded efficiently and kept frozen until needed. After cryopreservation, the cells were viable and displayed both neuronal and glial differentiation potential.
authors.affiliation: Hair Science Institute, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Coen G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Gho
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Leiden University Medical Centre, Room J2-60 | Building 1, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schomann
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Leiden University Medical Centre, Room J2-60 | Building 1, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Simon C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: de Groot
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Leiden University Medical Centre, Room J2-60 | Building 1, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johan H M
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Frijns
authors.affiliation: Centre for Stem Cell Biology, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Marcelo N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Rivolta
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Martino H A
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Leiden University Medical Centre, Room J2-60 | Building 1, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands. m.a.huisman@lumc.nl.
authors.forename: Margriet A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Huisman
keywords: Cryopreservation; Glia; Hair follicle stem cell; Neural crest; Neuron; Regeneration