title: Bulge Hair Follicle Stem Cells Accelerate Cutaneous Wound Healing in Rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Skin wound healing is a serious clinical problem especially after surgery and severe injury of the skin. Cell therapy is an innovative technique that can be applied to wound healing. One appropriate source of stem cells for therapeutic use is stem cells from the adult bulge of hair follicles. This study examined the effects of adult bulge hair follicle stem cells (HFSC) in wound healing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hair follicle stem cells were obtained from rat vibrissa and labeled with DiI (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA), then special markers were detected using flow cytometry. A full-thickness excisional wound model was created and DiI-labeled HFSC were injected around the wound bed. Wound healing was recorded with digital photographs. Animals were sacrificed at 3, 7, or 14 days after surgery, and were used for the following histological analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Flow cytometry analysis showed that HFSC were CD34 positive and nestin positive, but K15 negative. Morphological analysis of HFSC-treated wounds exhibited accelerated wound closure. Histological analysis of hematoxylin and eosin stained and Masson's trichrome-stained photomicrographs showed significantly more re-epithelialization and dermal structural regeneration in HFSC-treated wounds than in the control group. Immunohistochemical analysis of CD31 protein-positive cells showed angiogenesis was also more significant in HFSC-treated wounds than in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hair follicle stem cells accelerate skin wound healing. Isolating HFSC from a small skin biopsy could repair less-extensive full-thickness skin wounds by autologous stem cells and overcome major challenges regarding the use of stem cells in clinical application, while avoiding immune rejection and ethical concerns.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Heidari
authors.forename: Abazar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yari
authors.forename: Homa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rasoolijazi
authors.forename: Mansoureh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soleimani
authors.forename: Ahmadreza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dehpoor
authors.forename: Nayereh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sajedi
authors.forename: Sanaz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joulai Veijouye
authors.forename: Maliheh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nobakht
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D018859:Hair Follicle; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D062326:Re-Epithelialization / Q000502:physiology*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D013234:Stem Cells; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*