Innovative Approaches and Advances for Hair Follicle Regeneration

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Dermatology

Background:

• Pathological hair loss (alopecia) necessitates hair follicle (HF) regeneration strategies.
• In vitro HF proliferation shows promise for treating alopecia and skin impairments.
• Loss of extracellular matrix (ECM) and continuous cell passaging in vitro diminishes skin cell induction and hair follicle (HF) regeneration capacity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the use of 3D scaffolds in mimicking in vivo environments for hair follicle (HF) regeneration.
• To highlight the importance of ECM-mimicking scaffolds for maintaining cell homeostasis and trichogenic capacity.
• To discuss the role of biomaterial scaffolds in supporting HF organoid formation and epithelial-mesenchymal interaction (EMI).

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on 3D scaffolds supporting epidermal and dermal cells for HF regeneration.
• Analysis of HF-relevant cells (DPCs, HFSCs, MSCs) induction into HF organoids in vitro.
• Examination of how biomaterial scaffolds simulate niche microenvironments and facilitate epithelial-mesenchymal interaction (EMI).

Main Results:

• 3D scaffolds effectively mimic the native ECM, supporting cell homeostasis and preserving trichogenic capacity during in vitro culture.
• Biomaterial scaffolds provide an ordered growth environment, alleviating inductive capacity loss and promoting functional protein expression.
• Scaffolds facilitate epithelial-mesenchymal interaction (EMI) through co-culture, crucial for maintaining HF cell function through passages.

Conclusions:

• ECM-mimicking 3D scaffolds are essential for successful in vitro hair follicle (HF) regeneration and organoid formation.
• These scaffolds are critical for preserving the inductive capacity of skin-derived cells, enabling functional HF regeneration.
• Further research into biomaterials and 3D culture techniques holds significant promise for advancing alopecia treatments.