Full-thickness skin with mature hair follicles generated from tissue culture expanded human cells

Materials-based hair follicle engineering: Basic components and recent advances

The hair follicle (HF) is a significant skin appendage whose primary function is to produce the hair shaft. HFs are a non-renewable resource; skin damage or follicle closure may lead to permanent hair loss. Advances in biomaterials and biomedical engineering enable the feasibility of manipulating the HF-associated cell function for follicle reconstruction via rational design. The regeneration of bioengineered HF addresses the issue of limited resources and contributes to advancements in research and applications in hair loss treatment, HF development, and drug screening. Based on these requirements, this review summarizes the basic and recent advances in hair follicle regulation, including four components: acquisition of stem cells, signaling pathways, materials, and engineering methods. Recent studies have focused on efficiently combining these components and reproducing functionality, which would boost fabrication in HF rebuilding ex vivo, thereby eliminating the obstacles of transplantation into animals to promote mature development.

Characterization of heterogeneous skin constructs for full thickness skin regeneration in murine wound models

An autologous heterogeneous skin construct (AHSC) has been developed and used clinically as an alternative to traditional skin grafting techniques for treatment of cutaneous defects. AHSC is manufactured from a small piece of healthy skin in a manner that preserves endogenous regenerative cellular populations. To date however, specific cellular and non-cellular contributions of AHSC to the epidermal and dermal layers of closed wounds have not been well characterized given limited clinical opportunity for graft biopsy following wound closure. To address this limitation, a three-part mouse full-thickness excisional wound model was developed for histologic and macroscopic graft tracing. First, fluorescent mouse-derived AHSC (mHSC) was allografted onto non-fluorescent recipient mice to enable macroscopic and histologic time course evaluation of wound closure. Next, mHSC-derived from haired pigmented mice was allografted onto gender- and major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-mismatched athymic nude mouse recipients. Resulting grafts were distinguished from recipient murine skin via immunohistochemistry. Finally, human-derived AHSC (hHSC) was xenografted onto athymic nude mice to evaluate engraftment and hHSC contribution to wound closure. Experiments demonstrated that mHSC and hHSC facilitated wound closure through production of viable, proliferative cellular material and promoted full-thickness skin regeneration, including hair follicles and glands in dermal compartments. This combined macroscopic and histologic approach to tracing AHSC-treated wounds from engraftment to closure enabled robust profiling of regenerated architecture and further understanding of processes underlying AHSC mechanism of action. These models may be applied to a variety of wound care investigations, including those requiring longitudinal assessments of healing and targeted identification of donor and recipient tissue contributions.

The promising prospect of human hair follicle regeneration in the shadow of new tissue engineering strategies

Hair loss disorder (alopecia) affects numerous people around the world. The low effectiveness and numerous side effects of common treatments have prompted researchers to investigate alternative and effective solutions. Hair follicle (HF) bioengineering is the knowledge of using hair-inductive (trichogenic) cells. Most bioengineering-based approaches focus on regenerating folliculogenesis through manipulation of regulators of physical/molecular properties in the HF niche. Despite the high potential of cell therapy, no cell product has been produced for effective treatment in the field of hair regeneration. This problem shows the challenges in the functionality of cultured human hair cells. To achieve this goal, research and development of new and practical approaches, technologies and biomaterials are needed. Based on recent advances in the field, this review evaluates emerging HF bioengineering strategies and the future prospects for the field of tissue engineering and successful HF regeneration.

Inhibition of annexin A7 suppresses senescence-associated heterochromatin foci formation and senescence through the AMPK/mTOR pathway in human dermal fibroblasts

Senescence-associated heterochromatin foci (SAHF) is often used as a biological marker for senescent cells, but the regulation of its formation process is unclear. To find a new modulator of SAHF, we screened our chemical small molecules and found 7-amino-2,3,4,5-tetrahedrobenzo[b][1,4] oxazepin-3-ol (ABO) that was identified as an inhibitor of annexin A7 GTPase (ANXA7) dramatically suppressed the aggregation of heterochromatin protein (HP1γ), an indicator of SAHF. To understand its action mechanism, we first observed the changes in the karyoplasmic ratio of ANXA7 because HP1γ mainly located in the nucleus. The results showed that ABO elevated the protein level of ANXA7 in the nucleus. Therefore, we raised a hypothesis that ANXA7 interacted with HP1γ and regulated its phosphorylation, which is closely related to the formation of SAHF. The co-immunoprecipitation and Western blot experiment results showed that ANXA7 had no direct interaction with HP1γ, however, the phosphorylation of HP1γ was increased by ABO, which suggested that ANXA7 indirectly regulated HP1γ phosphorylation. Then, based on our previous discovery of ANXA7 interacting with AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), we investigated the effect of the AMPK/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway on ABO-increased phosphorylation of HP1γ. We found that ABO decreased AMPK phosphorylation and increased the phosphorylation level and activity of mTOR. In the presence of an AMPK activator or mTOR inhibitor, ABO could not increase HP1γ phosphorylation. As a result, ABO inhibited the senescence of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). In this study, we found that ANXA7 was a new regulator of SAHF, it could regulate the formation of SAHF through the AMPK/mTOR pathway. The data suggested that ABO could be used as a powerful tool to inhibit the replicative senescence of HDFs.

In vitro hair follicle growth model for drug testing

In vitro models of human hair follicle-like tissue could be fundamental tools to better understand hair follicle morphogenesis and hair drug screening. During prenatal development and postnatal cyclic hair regeneration, hair follicle morphogenesis is triggered by reciprocal interactions and the organization of the epithelial and mesenchymal cell populations. Given this mechanism, we developed an approach to induce hair peg-like sprouting in organoid cultures composed of epithelial and mesenchymal cells. Human fetal/adult epithelial and mesenchymal cells were cultured in a medium supplemented with a low concentration of either Matrigel or collagen I. These extracellular matrices significantly enhanced the self-organization capabilities of the epithelial and mesenchymal cells, resulting in spherical aggregation and subsequent hair peg-like sprouting. The length of the hair peg sprouting and associated gene expression significantly increased in the presence of a well-known hair drug, minoxidil. This approach may be beneficial for testing hair growth-promoting drug candidates.

Expansion Culture of Hair Follicle Stem Cells through Uniform Aggregation in Microwell Array Devices

Hair regeneration using hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) and dermal papilla cells is a promising approach for the treatment of alopecia. One of the challenges faced in this approach is the quantitative expansion of HFSCs while maintaining their hair induction capacity. In this study, HFSC expansion was achieved through the formation of uniform-diameter cell aggregates that were subsequently encapsulated in Matrigel. We designed a microwell array device, wherein mouse HFSCs were seeded, allowed to form loosely packed aggregates for an hour, and then embedded in Matrigel. Quantitative analysis revealed a 20-fold increase in HFSC number in 2 weeks through this culture device. Gene expression of trichogenic stem cell markers in the device-grown cells showed a significant increase compared with that of typical flat substrate Matrigel suspension culture cells. These microwell array-cultured HFSCs mixed with freshly isolated embryonic mesenchymal cells indicated vigorous hair regeneration on the skin of nude mice. Furthermore, we examined the feasibility of this approach for the expansion of human HFSCs from androgenetic alopecia patients and found that the ratio of CD200⁺ cells was improved significantly in comparison with that of cells cultured in a typical culture dish or in a Matrigel suspension culture on a flat substrate. Therefore, the novel approach proposed in this study may be useful for HFSC expansion in hair regenerative medicine.

Skin-on-a-chip strategies for human hair follicle regeneration

The number of hair loss patients increases every year, and hair loss treatment has several limitations, so research on hair is attracting attention recently. However, most current hair follicle research models are limited by their inability to replicate several key functions of the hair follicle microenvironment. To complement this, an in vitro culture system similar to the in vivo environment must be constructed. It is necessary to develop a hair-on-a-chip that implements a fully functional hair follicle model by reproducing the main characteristics of hair follicle morphogenesis and cycle. In this review, we summarize the gradation of hair follicle morphogenesis and the roles and mechanisms of molecular signals involved in the hair follicle cycle. In addition, we discuss research results of various in vitro organoid products and organ-on-a-chip-based hair follicle tissue chips for the treatment of alopecia and present future research and development directions.

Identification of a new way to induce differentiation of dermal fibroblasts into vascular endothelial cells

Background

Human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) have the potential to differentiate into vascular endothelial cells (VECs), but their differentiation rate is low and the mechanism involved is not clear. The small molecule pathway controls the phenotype of fibroblasts by activating cellular signaling pathways, which is a more convenient method in the differentiation strategy of HDFs into VECs.

Methods

In this study, HDFs were treated with the different doses of CPP ((E)-4-(4-(4-(7-(diethylamino)-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carbonyl) piperazin-1-yl) styryl)-1-methylpyridin-1-ium iodide), and the mRNA and protein levels of HDFs were detected by qPCR, Western blot, flow cytometry and immunofluorescent staining. The matrigel assays, acetylated-LDL uptake and angiogenesis assays of chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and hindlimb ischemia model of nude mice were performed to evaluate the functions of VECs derived from HDFs.

Results

Here, we report that the small chemical molecule, CPP, can effectively induce HDFs to differentiate into VECs. First, we observed the morphological changes of HDFS treated with CPP. Flow cytometry, Western blot and qRT-PCR analyses showed that CPP effectively decreased the level of the HDFs-marker Vimentin and increased levels of the VEC-markers CD31, CD133, TEK, ERG, vWF, KDR and CDH5. Detection of the percentage of CD31-positive cells by immunofluorescent staining confirmed that CPP can effectively induce HDFs to differentiate into VECs. The results of Matrigel assays, DiI-ac-LDL uptake, angiogenesis assays on CAM and hindlimb ischemia model of nude mice showed that CPP-induced HDFs have the functions of VECs in vitro and in vivo. Western blot and qRT-PCR analysis showed that CPP induces HDFs to differentiate into VECs by promoting the expression of pro-angiogenic factors (VEGF, FGF-2 and PDGF-BB).

Conclusions

Our data suggest that the small chemical molecule CPP efficiently induces the differentiation of HDFs into VECs. Simultaneously, this new inducer provides a potential to develop new approaches to restore vascular function for the treatment of ischemic vascular diseases.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13287-022-03185-4.

Grp94 Inhibitor HCP1 Inhibits Human Dermal Fibroblast Senescence

Researchers are paying more and more attention to aging, especially skin aging. Therefore, it is urgent to find an effective way to inhibit aging. Here, we report a small chemical molecule, HCP1, that inhibited the senescence of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). First, we performed morphological experiment and found that HCP1-treated HDFs were no longer elongated and flat compared to DMSO-treated groups. Next, we found that the number of β-gal positive cells decreased compared to DMSO-treated groups. Through flow cytometry, western blot, and immunofluorescence, we found that HCP1 could inhibit the senescence of HDFs. In the study of the mechanism, we found that HCP1 could regulate the AMPK/mTOR signal pathway through glucose-regulated protein 94 (Grp94). In addition, we found that HCP1 could promote the interaction between Grp94 and lysosomes, which led to an increase in the activity of lysosomes and inhibited the senescence of HDFs. At the same time, we found that HCP1 decreased the concentration of Ca²⁺ in mitochondria, inhibiting the senescence of HCP1. Therefore, we propose that HCP1 is a potential aging-inhibiting compound, and provide a new idea for the development of senescence-inhibiting drugs.

Phenformin Down-Regulates c-Myc Expression to Suppress the Expression of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines in Keratinocytes

The treatment of many skin inflammation diseases, such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, is still a challenge and inflammation plays important roles in multiple stages of skin tumor development, including initiation, promotion and metastasis. Phenformin, a biguanide drug, has been shown to play a more efficient anti-tumor function than another well-known biguanide drug, metformin, which has been reported to control the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines; however, little is known about the effects of phenformin on skin inflammation. This study used a mouse acute inflammation model, ex vivo skin organ cultures and in vitro human primary keratinocyte cultures to demonstrate that phenformin can suppress acute skin inflammatory responses induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in vivo and significantly suppresses the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 in human primary keratinocytes in vitro. The suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokine expression by phenformin was not directly through regulation of the MAPK or NF-κB pathways, but by controlling the expression of c-Myc in human keratinocytes. We demonstrated that the overexpression of c-Myc can induce pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and counteract the suppressive effect of phenformin on cytokine expression in keratinocytes. In contrast, the down-regulation of c-Myc produces effects similar to phenformin, both in cytokine expression by keratinocytes in vitro and in skin inflammation in vivo. Finally, we showed that phenformin, as an AMPK activator, down-regulates the expression of c-Myc through regulation of the AMPK/mTOR pathways. In summary, phenformin inhibits the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in keratinocytes through the down-regulation of c-Myc expression to play an anti-inflammation function in the skin.

Single-Cell Transcriptomics Uncover Key Regulators of Skin Regeneration in Human Long-Term Mechanical Stretch-Mediated Expansion Therapy

Tissue expansion is a commonly performed therapy to grow extra skin invivo for reconstruction. While mechanical stretch-induced epidermal changes have been extensively studied in rodents and cell culture, little is known about the mechanobiology of the human epidermis in vivo. Here, we employed single-cell RNA sequencing to interrogate the changes in the human epidermis during long-term tissue expansion therapy in clinical settings. We also verified the main findings at the protein level by immunofluorescence analysis of independent clinical samples. Our data show that the expanding human skin epidermis maintained a cellular composition and lineage trajectory that are similar to its non-expanding neighbor, suggesting the cellular heterogeneity of long-term expanded samples differs from the early response to the expansion. Also, a decrease in proliferative cells due to the decayed regenerative competency was detected. On the other hand, profound transcriptional changes are detected for epidermal stem cells in the expanding skin versus their non-expanding peers. These include significantly enriched signatures of C-FOS, EMT, and mTOR pathways and upregulation of AREG and SERPINB2 genes. CellChat associated ligand-receptor pairs and signaling pathways were revealed. Together, our data present a single-cell atlas of human epidermal changes in long-term tissue expansion therapy, suggesting that transcriptional change in epidermal stem cells is the major mechanism underlying long-term human skin expansion therapy. We also identified novel therapeutic targets to promote human skin expansion efficiency in the future.

Generation and characterization of hair-bearing skin organoids from human pluripotent stem cells

Human skin uses millions of hairs and glands distributed across the body surface to function as an external barrier, thermoregulator and stimuli sensor. The large-scale generation of human skin with these appendages would be beneficial, but is challenging. Here, we describe a detailed protocol for generating hair-bearing skin tissue entirely from a homogeneous population of human pluripotent stem cells in a three-dimensional in vitro culture system. Defined culture conditions are used over a 2-week period to induce differentiation of pluripotent stem cells to surface ectoderm and cranial neural crest cells, which give rise to the epidermis and dermis, respectively, in each organoid unit. After 60 d of incubation, the skin organoids produce hair follicles. By day ~130, the skin organoids reach full complexity and contain stratified skin layers, pigmented hair follicles, sebaceous glands, Merkel cells and sensory neurons, recapitulating the cell composition and architecture of fetal skin tissue at week 18 of gestation. Skin organoids can be maintained in culture using this protocol for up to 150 d, enabling the organoids to be used to investigate basic skin biology, model disease and, further, reconstruct or regenerate skin tissue.

Chitosan/Gelatin Composite Nonwoven Fabric Scaffold Seeding Minimal Function Unit of Skin for Functional Skin Regeneration

The construction of intact functional skin is a challenging field in tissue engineering. Traditional skin tissue engineering, using "seed cells" as a bioactive source for scaffolding materials maybe not efficient enough. Here a new strategy is shown for constructing functional tissue-engineered skin with Minimal Functional Unit of Skin (MFUS) as the source of bioactivity. Chitosan/gelatin non-woven fabric is used as the scaffold. MFUS is derived from autologous skin with full-thickness skin microstructure and complete functional skin unit harvesting. A mathematical model is used to calculate the MFUS Minimal Harvest Diameter and Angle (MHDA). Chitosan/gelatin non-woven fabric (CS+GEL) is porous and absorbable, with an elastic modulus meeting the requirement of skin engineering. It supports layered and 3D growth of MFUS. The degradation rate of chitosan, including filament diameter and density is evaluated in vivo. MFUS-engineered skin could reduce the density of local nerve fibers in the early stage, potentially reducing pain during wound healing, as well as could limit excessive fibroblast cell migration in the later stage, potentially reducing scar formation. This study proposes a new strategy for the clinical treatment of large full-thickness skin defects by constructing intact functional at minimal cost.

Recreation of a hair follicle regenerative microenvironment: Successes and pitfalls

The hair follicle (HF) is an exquisite skin appendage endowed with cyclical regenerative capacity; however, de novo follicle formation does not naturally occur. Consequently, patients suffering from extensive skin damage or hair loss are deprived of the HF critical physiological and/or aesthetic functions, severally compromising skin function and the individual's psychosocial well-being. Translation of regenerative strategies has been prevented by the loss of trichogenic capacity that relevant cell populations undergo in culture and by the lack of suitable human-based in vitro testing platforms. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the major difficulties associated with HF regeneration and the approaches used to overcome these drawbacks. We describe key cellular requirements and discuss the importance of the HF extracellular matrix and associated signaling for HF regeneration. Finally, we summarize the strategies proposed so far to bioengineer human HF or hair-bearing skin models and disclose future trends for the field.

Inhibition of Calcineurin/NFAT Signaling Blocks Oncogenic H-Ras Induced Autophagy in Primary Human Keratinocytes

Mutations of H-Ras, a member of the RAS family, are preferentially found in cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). H-Ras has been reported to induce autophagy, which plays an essential role in tissue homeostasis in multiple types of cancer cells and in fibroblasts, however, the potential role of H-Ras in regulating autophagy in human keratinocytes has not been reported. In this study, we found that the stable expression of the G12V mutant of H-RAS (H-Ras ^G12V ) induced autophagy in human keratinocytes, and interestingly, the induction of autophagy was strongly blocked by inhibiting the calcineurin/nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) pathway with either a calcineurin inhibitor (Cyclosporin A) or a NFAT inhibitor (VIVIT), or by the small interfering RNA (siRNA) mediated knockdown of calcineurin B1 or NFATc1 in vitro, as well as in vivo. To characterize the role of the calcineurin/NFAT pathway in H-Ras induced autophagy, we found that H-Ras ^G12V promoted the nuclear translocation of NFATc1, an indication of the activation of the calcineurin/NFAT pathway, in human keratinocytes. However, activation of NFATc1 either by the forced expression of NFATc1 or by treatment with phenformin, an AMPK activator, did not increase the formation of autophagy in human keratinocytes. Further study revealed that inhibiting the calcineurin/NFAT pathway actually suppressed H-Ras expression in H-Ras ^G12V overexpressing cells. Finally, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays showed that NFATc1 potentially binds the promoter region of H-Ras and the binding efficiency was significantly enhanced by the overexpression of H-Ras ^G12V , which was abolished by treatment with the calcineurin/NFAT pathway inhibitors cyclosporine A (CsA) or VIVIT. Taking these data together, the present study demonstrates that the calcineurin/NFAT signaling pathway controls H-Ras expression and interacts with the H-Ras pathway, involving the regulation of H-Ras induced autophagy in human keratinocytes.

Design of In Vitro Hair Follicles for Different Applications in the Treatment of Alopecia-A Review

The hair research field has seen great improvement in recent decades, with in vitro hair follicle (HF) models being extensively developed. However, due to the cellular complexity and number of various molecular interactions that must be coordinated, a fully functional in vitro model of HFs remains elusive. The most common bioengineering approach to grow HFs in vitro is to manipulate their features on cellular and molecular levels, with dermal papilla cells being the main focus. In this study, we focus on providing a better understanding of HFs in general and how they behave in vitro. The first part of the review presents skin morphology with an emphasis on HFs and hair loss. The remainder of the paper evaluates cells, materials, and methods of in vitro growth of HFs. Lastly, in vitro models and assays for evaluating the effects of active compounds on alopecia and hair growth are presented, with the final emphasis on applications of in vitro HFs in hair transplantation. Since the growth of in vitro HFs is a complicated procedure, there is still a great number of unanswered questions aimed at understanding the long-term cycling of HFs without losing inductivity. Incorporating other regions of HFs that lead to the successful formation of different hair classes remains a difficult challenge.

Impact of adipose-derived stem cells on engineering hair follicle germ-like tissue grafts for hair regenerative medicine

Hair regenerative medicine has emerged as a promising treatment strategy for severe hair loss, such as end-stage androgenetic alopecia. Various approaches to engineering three-dimensional tissue grafts have been explored since they drive the ability to regenerate hair follicles when transplanted. In the present study, we demonstrated the assembly of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) into hair follicle germ (HFG)-like aggregates for de novo hair regeneration. We mixed human dermal papilla cells (hDPCs), murine embryonic epithelial cells, and hASCs in suspension, and allowed them to form aggregates. During three days of culture, cells initially formed a single aggregate with a random distribution of the three cell types, but the epithelial and dermal papilla cells subsequently separated from each other and formed a dumbbell-shaped HFG, with hASCs localized on the hDPC aggregate side. The involvement of hASCs significantly increased gene expression associated with hair morphogenesis compared to HFGs without hASCs. The self-organization of the three cell types was observed in our scalable lab-made chip device. HFGs containing hASCs efficiently generated hair shafts upon transplantation to nude mice, while only a few shafts were generated with HFGs without hASCs. This approach may be a promising strategy for fabricating tissue grafts for hair regenerative medicine.

Establishment of an Efficient Primary Culture System for Human Hair Follicle Stem Cells Using the Rho-Associated Protein Kinase Inhibitor Y-27632

Background

Hair follicle tissue engineering is a promising strategy for treating hair loss. Human hair follicle stem cells (hHFSCs), which play a key role in the hair cycle, have potential applications in regenerative medicine. However, previous studies did not achieve efficient hHFSC expansion in vitro using feeder cells. Therefore, there is a need to develop an efficient primary culture system for the expansion and maintenance of hHFSCs.

Methods

The hHFSCs were obtained by two-step proteolytic digestion combined with microscopy. The cell culture dishes were coated with human fibronectin and inoculated with hHFSCs. The hHFSCs were harvested using a differential enrichment procedure. The effect of Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Y-27632, supplemented in keratinocyte serum-free medium (K-SFM), on adhesion, proliferation, and stemness of hHFSCs and the underlying molecular mechanisms were evaluated.

Results

The hHFSCs cultured in K-SFM, supplemented with Y-27632, exhibited enhanced adhesion and proliferation. Additionally, Y-27632 treatment maintained the stemness of hHFSCs and promoted the ability of hHFSCs to regenerate hair follicles in vivo. However, Y-27632-induced proliferation and stemness in hHFSCs were conditional and reversible. Furthermore, Y-27632 maintained propagation and stemness of hHFSCs through the ERK/MAPK pathway.

Conclusion

An efficient short-term culture system for primary hHFSCs was successfully established using human fibronectin and the ROCK inhibitor Y-27632, which promoted the proliferation, maintained the stemness of hHFSCs and promoted the ability to regenerate hair follicles in vivo. The xenofree culturing method used in this study provided a large number of high-quality seed cells, which have applications in hair follicle tissue engineering and stem cell therapy.

Skin organoids: A new human model for developmental and translational research

Culturing skin cells outside of the body has been a cornerstone of dermatological investigation for many years; however, human skin equivalent systems typically lack the full complexity of native skin. Notably, skin appendages, such as hair follicles and sweat glands, remain a challenge to generate or maintain in cell cultures and reconstruct in damaged skin. Recent work from our lab has demonstrated methods for generating appendage-bearing skin tissue-known as skin organoids-from pluripotent stem cells. Here, we will summarize this work and other related works, and then discuss the potential future applications of skin organoids in dermatological research.

Hair follicle germs containing vascular endothelial cells for hair regenerative medicine

Hair regenerative medicine has emerged as a promising approach for the treatment of severe hair loss. Recent advances in three-dimensional tissue engineering, such as formation of hair follicle germs (HFGs), have considerably improved hair regeneration after transplantation in animal models. Here, we proposed an approach for fabricating HFGs containing vascular endothelial cells. Epithelial, dermal papilla, and vascular endothelial cells initially formed a single aggregate, which subsequently became a dumbbell-shaped HFG, wherein the vascular endothelial cells localized in the region of dermal papilla cells. The HFGs containing vascular endothelial cells exhibited higher expression of hair morphogenesis-related genes in vitro, along with higher levels of hair shaft regeneration upon transplantation to the dorsal side of nude mice, than those without vascular endothelial cells. The generated hair follicles represented functional characteristics, such as piloerection, as well as morphological characteristics comparable to those of natural hair shafts. This approach may provide a promising strategy for fabricating tissue grafts with higher hair inductivity for hair regenerative medicine.

Early-stage bilayer tissue-engineered skin substitute formed by adult skin progenitor cells produces an improved skin structure in vivo

BACKGROUND

In recent years, significant progress has been made in developing highly complex tissue-engineered skin substitutes (TESSs) for wound healing. However, the lack of skin appendages, such as hair follicles and sweat glands, and the time required, are two major limitations that hinder its broad application in the clinic. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a competent TESS in a short time to meet the needs for clinical applications.

METHODS

Adult scalp dermal progenitor cells and epidermal stem cells together with type I collagen as a scaffold material were used to reconstitute bilayer TESSs in vitro. TESSs at 4 different culture times (5, 9, 14, and 21 days) were collected and then grafted onto full-thickness wounds created in the dorsal skin of athymic nude/nude mice. The skin specimens formed from grafted TESSs were collected 4 and 8 weeks later and then evaluated for their structure, cell organization, differentiation status, vascularization, and formation of appendages by histological analysis, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescent staining.

RESULTS

Early-stage bilayer TESSs after transplantation had a better efficiency of grafting. A normal structure of stratified epidermis containing multiple differentiated layers of keratinocytes was formed in all grafts from both early-stage and late-stage TESSs, but higher levels of the proliferation marker Ki-67 and the epidermal progenitor marker p63 were found in the epidermis formed from early-stage TESSs. Interestingly, the transplantation of early-stage TESSs produced a thicker dermis that contained more vimentin- and CD31-positive cells, and importantly, hair follicle formation was only observed in the skin grafted from early-stage TESSs. Finally, early-stage TESSs expressed high levels of p63 but had low expression levels of genes involved in the activation of the apoptotic pathway compared to the late-stage TESSs in vitro.

CONCLUSIONS

Early-stage bilayer TESSs reconstituted from skin progenitor cells contained more competent cells with less activation of the apoptotic pathway and produced a better skin structure, including hair follicles associated with sebaceous glands, after transplantation, which should potentially provide better wound healing when applied in the clinic in the future.

Prolonged treatment with Y-27632 promotes the senescence of primary human dermal fibroblasts by increasing the expression of IGFBP-5 and transforming them into a CAF-like phenotype

The Rho-kinases (ROCK) inhibitor Y-27632 has been shown to promote the growth of epidermal cells, however, its potential effects on human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) need to be clarified. Here we show that prolonged treatment of HDFs with Y-27632 decreased their growth by inducing senescence, which was associated with induction of the senescence markers p16 and p21, and downmodulation of the ERK pathways. The senescent HDFs induced by Y-27632 acquired a cancer-associated-fibroblast (CAF)-like phenotype to promote squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell growth in vitro. Expression of a newly identified target of Y-27632 by RNA-seq, insulin growth factor binding protein 5 (IGFBP-5), was dramatically increased after 24 h of treatment with Y-27632. Adding recombinant IGFBP-5 protein to the culture medium produced similar phenotypes of HDFs as did treatment with Y-27632, and knockdown of IGFBP-5 blocked the Y-27632-induced senescence. Furthermore, Y-27632 induced the expression of an IGFBP-5 upstream gene, GATA4, and knockdown of GATA4 also reduced the Y-27632-induced senescence. In summary, these results demonstrate for the first time that Y-27632 promotes cellular senescence in primary HDFs by inducing the expression of IGFBP-5 and that prolonged treatment with Y-27632 potentially transforms primary HDFs into CAF-like cells.

Pre-aggregation of scalp progenitor dermal and epidermal stem cells activates the WNT pathway and promotes hair follicle formation in in vitro and in vivo systems

BACKGROUND

Billions of dollars are invested annually by pharmaceutical companies in search of new options for treating hair loss conditions; nevertheless, the challenge remains. One major limitation to hair follicle research is the lack of effective and efficient drug screening systems using human cells. Organoids, three-dimensional in vitro structures derived from stem cells, provide new opportunities for studying organ development, tissue regeneration, and disease pathogenesis. The present study focuses on the formation of human hair follicle organoids.

METHODS

Scalp-derived dermal progenitor cells mixed with foreskin-derived epidermal stem cells at a 2:1 ratio aggregated in suspension to form hair follicle-like organoids, which were confirmed by immunostaining of hair follicle markers and by molecular dye labeling assays to analyze dermal and epidermal cell organization in those organoids. The hair-forming potential of organoids was examined using an in vivo transplantation assay.

RESULTS

Pre-aggregation of dermal and epidermal cells enhanced hair follicle formation in vivo. In vitro pre-aggregation initiated the interactions of epidermal and dermal progenitor cells resulting in activation of the WNT pathway and the formation of pear-shape structures, named type I aggregates. Cell-tracing analysis showed that the dermal and epidermal cells self-assembled into distinct epidermal and dermal compartments. Histologically, the type I aggregates expressed early hair follicle markers, suggesting the hair peg-like phase of hair follicle morphogenesis. The addition of recombinant WNT3a protein to the medium enhanced the formation of these aggregates, and the Wnt effect could be blocked by the WNT inhibitor, IWP2.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, our system supports the rapid formation of a large number of hair follicle organoids (type I aggregates). This system provides a platform for studying epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, for assessing inductive hair stem cells and for screening compounds that support hair follicle regeneration.

Self-Activated Electrical Stimulation for Effective Hair Regeneration via a Wearable Omnidirectional Pulse Generator

Hair loss, a common and distressing symptom, has been plaguing humans. Various pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments have been widely studied to achieve the desired effect for hair regeneration. As a nonpharmacological physical approach, physiologically appropriate alternating electric field plays a key role in the field of regenerative tissue engineering. Here, a universal motion-activated and wearable electric stimulation device that can effectively promote hair regeneration via random body motions was designed. Significantly facilitated hair regeneration results were obtained from Sprague-Dawley rats and nude mice. Higher hair follicle density and longer hair shaft length were observed on Sprague-Dawley rats when the device was employed compared to conventional pharmacological treatments. The device can also improve the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor and keratinocyte growth factor and thereby alleviate hair keratin disorder, increase the number of hair follicles, and promote hair regeneration on genetically defective nude mice. This work provides an effective hair regeneration strategy in the context of a nonpharmacological self-powered wearable electronic device.

Self-organizing hair peg-like structures from dissociated skin progenitor cells: New insights for human hair follicle organoid engineering and Turing patterning in an asymmetric morphogenetic field

Human skin progenitor cells will form new hair follicles, although at a low efficiency, when injected into nude mouse skin. To better study and improve upon this regenerative process, we developed an in vitro system to analyse the morphogenetic cell behaviour in detail and modulate physical-chemical parameters to more effectively generate hair primordia. In this three-dimensional culture, dissociated human neonatal foreskin keratinocytes self-assembled into a planar epidermal layer while fetal scalp dermal cells coalesced into stripes, then large clusters, and finally small clusters resembling dermal condensations. At sites of dermal clustering, subjacent epidermal cells protruded to form hair peg-like structures, molecularly resembling hair pegs within the sequence of follicular development. The hair peg-like structures emerged in a coordinated, formative wave, moving from periphery to centre, suggesting that the droplet culture constitutes a microcosm with an asymmetric morphogenetic field. In vivo, hair follicle populations also form in a progressive wave, implying the summation of local periodic patterning events with an asymmetric global influence. To further understand this global patterning process, we developed a mathematical simulation using Turing activator-inhibitor principles in an asymmetric morphogenetic field. Together, our culture system provides a suitable platform to (a) analyse the self-assembly behaviour of hair progenitor cells into periodically arranged hair primordia and (b) identify parameters that impact the formation of hair primordia in an asymmetric morphogenetic field. This understanding will enhance our future ability to successfully engineer human hair follicle organoids.

Use of human intra-tissue stem/progenitor cells and induced pluripotent stem cells for hair follicle regeneration

Background

The hair follicle (HF) is a unique miniorgan, which self-renews for a lifetime. Stem cell populations of multiple lineages reside within human HF and enable its regeneration. In addition to resident HF stem/progenitor cells (HFSPCs), the cells with similar biological properties can be induced from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). As approaches to regenerate HF by combining HF-derived cells have been established in rodents and a huge demand exists to treat hair loss diseases, attempts have been made to bioengineer human HF using HFSPCs or hiPSCs.

Main body of the abstract

The aim of this review is to comprehensively summarize the strategies to regenerate human HF using HFSPCs or hiPSCs. HF morphogenesis and regeneration are enabled by well-orchestrated epithelial-mesenchymal interactions (EMIs). In rodents, various combinations of keratinocytes with mesenchymal (dermal) cells with trichogenic capacity, which were transplanted into in vivo environment, have successfully generated HF structures. The regeneration efficiency was higher, when epithelial or dermal HFSPCs were adopted. The success in HF formation most likely depended on high receptivity to trichogenic dermal signals and/or potent hair inductive capacity of HFSPCs. In theory, the use of epithelial HFSPCs in the bulge area and dermal papilla cells, their precursor cells in the dermal sheath, or trichogenic neonatal dermal cells should elicit intense EMI sufficient for HF formation. However, technical hurdles, represented by the limitation in starting materials and the loss of intrinsic properties during in vitro expansion, hamper the stable reconstitution of human HFs with this approach. Several strategies, including the amelioration of culture condition or compartmentalization of cells to strengthen EMI, can be conceived to overcome this obstacle. Obviously, use of hiPSCs can resolve the shortage of the materials once reliable protocols to induce wanted HFSPC subsets have been developed, which is in progress. Taking advantage of their pluripotency, hiPSCs may facilitate previously unthinkable approaches to regenerate human HFs, for instance, via bioengineering of 3D integumentary organ system, which can also be applied for the treatment of other diseases.

Short conclusion

Further development of methodologies to reproduce bona fide EMI in HF formation is indispensable. However, human HFSPCs and hiPSCs hold promise as materials for human HF regeneration.

Human Reconstructed Skin in a Mouse Model

Currently, no ideal in vivo skin model, to exactly mimic the native human skin, has been utilized for laboratory and clinical application. Here, we describe a method to in vivo reconstitute a human skin model, so-called hRSK, by using culture-expanded skin cells. We grafted a mixture of dissociated human epidermal and dermal cells onto an excision wound on the back of immunodeficient mouse to generate the hRSK, and the hRSK, containing epidermis, dermis, and subcutis and also appendages such as hair follicles, histologically mirrors in situ human skin.

Fabrication of Chimeric Hair Follicles for Skin Tissue Engineering

Fabrication of engineered skin substitutes provides an alternative approach for the treatment of full-thickness burns and other skin injuries. Improving the functionality of current skin substitute models requires incorporation of skin appendages, including hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and sweat glands. In this chapter, methods for generating skin substitutes incorporating chimeric hair follicles are described. Isolation of human keratinocytes, human fibroblasts, and murine dermal papilla cells is first outlined. These cell types are then combined with collagen-glycosaminoglycan (GAG) scaffolds to generate human-murine chimeric grafts which are then grafted to full-thickness surgical wounds in immunodeficient mice. The methods described allow for the generation of a human-mouse follicular structure.

The ARE-binding protein Tristetraprolin (TTP) is a novel target and mediator of calcineurin tumor suppressing function in the skin

An increased incidence of skin inflammatory diseases is frequently observed in organtransplanted patients being treated with calcineurin inhibitor-based immunosuppressive agents. The mechanism of increased skin inflammation in this context has however not yet been clarified. Here we report an increased inflammation following inhibition of calcineurin signaling seen in both chemically induced mouse skin tumors and in tumors grafted from H-rasV12 expressing primary human keratinocytes (HKCs). Following UVB or TPA treatment, we specifically found that deletion of the calcineurin gene in mouse keratinocytes (MKCs) resulted in increased inflammation, and this was accompanied by the enhanced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNFα, IL-8 and CXCL1. Furthermore, expression of the RNA-binding protein, tristetraprolin (TTP) was down-regulated in response to calcineurin inhibition, wherein TTP was shown to negatively regulate the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in keratinocytes. The induction of TTP following TPA or UVB treatment was attenuated by calcineurin inhibition in keratinocytes, and correspondingly, disruption of calcineurin signaling down-regulated the amounts of TTP in both clinical and H-rasV12-transformed keratinocyte tumor models. Our results further demonstrated that calcineurin positively controls the stabilization of TTP in keratinocytes through a proteasome-dependent mechanism. Reducing the expression of TTP functionally promoted tumor growth of H-rasV12 expressing HKCs, while stabilizing TTP expression counteracted the tumor-promoting effects of calcineurin inhibition. Collectively these results suggest that calcineurin signaling, acting through TTP protein level stabilization, suppresses keratinocyte tumors by downregulating skin inflammation.

Baicalin increases hair follicle development by increasing canonical Wnt/β‑catenin signaling and activating dermal papillar cells in mice

Baicalin is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine commonly used for hair loss, the precise molecular mechanism of which is unknown. In the present study, the mechanism of baicalin was investigated via the topical application of baicalin to reconstituted hair follicles on mice dorsa and evaluating the effect on canonical Wnt/β‑catenin signaling in the hair follicles and the activity of dermal papillar cells. The results indicate that baicalin stimulates the expression of Wnt3a, Wnt5a, frizzled 7 and disheveled 2 whilst inhibiting the Axin/casein kinase 1α/adenomatous polyposis coli/glycogen synthase kinase 3β degradation complex, leading to accumulation of β‑catenin and activation of Wnt/β‑catenin signaling. In addition, baicalin was observed to increase the alkaline phosphatase levels in dermal papillar cells, a process which was dependent on Wnt pathway activation. Given its non‑toxicity and ease of topical application, baicalin represents a promising treatment for alopecia and other forms of hair loss. Further studies of baicalin using human hair follicle transplants are warranted in preparation for future clinical use.

The patch assay reconstitutes mature hair follicles by culture-expanded human cells

AIM

We tested whether the a simple injection known as the patch assay could reconstitute mature hair follicles by culture-expanded human cells and explored whether the assay could reflect the trichogenicity of cultured cells.

MATERIALS & METHODS

Dissociated culture-expanded fetal or adult scalp dermal cells combined with foreskin keratinocytes were subcutaneously injected into the back skin of immunosuppressive mice to form the patch skin. The patches were collected and characterized and were analyzed for hair formation efficiency.

RESULTS

Using culture-expanded human fetal cells, the patch assay can efficiently reconstitute mature hair follicles and the efficiency of hair formation in the patch assay correlates with cell trichogenicity.

CONCLUSION

The patch assay has the potential for testing the trichogenicity of human cells.

An advanced mouse model for human skin wound healing

Here, we report a model for studying wound repair based on skin regenerated from human tissue culture-expanded cells. The reconstituted skin (hRSK) responds to injury similar to that of intact human skin, and its constituent cells contribute to the healing process. As we have demonstrated that hRSK composed of GFP-labelled cells also heals "normally," we believe this model will be useful in analysing the wound repair process using genetically modified human cells.

Reconstitution of full-thickness skin by microcolumn grafting

In addition to providing a physical barrier, skin also serves a diverse range of physiological functions through different specialized resident cell types/structures, including melanocytes (pigmentation and protection against ultraviolet radiation), Langerhans cells (adaptive immunity), fibroblasts (maintaining extracellular matrix, paracrine regulation of keratinocytes), sweat glands (thermoregulation) and hair follicles (hair growth, sensation and a stem cell reservoir). Restoration of these functional elements has been a long-standing challenge in efforts to engineer skin tissue, while autologous skin grafting is limited by the scarcity of donor site skin and morbidity caused by skin harvesting. We demonstrate an alternative approach of harvesting and then implanting μm-scale, full-thickness columns of human skin tissue, which can be removed from a donor site with minimal morbidity and no scarring. Fresh human skin microcolumns were used to reconstitute skin in wounds on immunodeficient mice. The restored skin recapitulated many key features of normal human skin tissue, including epidermal architecture, diverse skin cell populations, adnexal structures and sweat production in response to cholinergic stimulation. These promising preclinical results suggest that harvesting and grafting of microcolumns may be useful for reconstituting fully functional skin in human wounds, without donor site morbidity. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.