Human Hair Follicle-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from the Lower Dermal Sheath as a Competitive Alternative for Immunomodulation

Abstract

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have unique immunomodulatory capacities. We investigated hair follicle-derived MSCs (HF-MSCs) from the dermal sheath, which are advantageous as an alternative source because of their relatively painless and minimally risky extraction procedure. These cells expressed neural markers upon isolation and maintained stemness for a minimum of 10 passages. Furthermore, HF-MSCs showed responsiveness to pro-inflammatory environments by expressing type-II major histocompatibility complex antigens (MHC)-II to a lesser extent than adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AT-MSCs). HF-MSCs effectively inhibited the proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells equivalently to AT-MSCs. Additionally, HF-MSCs promoted the induction of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells to the same extent as AT-MSCs. Finally, HF-MSCs, more so than AT-MSCs, skewed M0 and M1 macrophages towards M2 phenotypes, with upregulation of typical M2 markers CD163 and CD206 and downregulation of M1 markers such as CD64, CD86, and MHC-II. Thus, we conclude that HF-MSCs are a promising source for immunomodulation.

Extracellular vesicles from hair follicle-derived mesenchymal stromal cells: isolation, characterization and therapeutic potential for chronic wound healing

“…HF-MSCs were isolated and characterized from HFs as previously described [ 22 ] and further cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM 49166-029, Gibco) supplemented with 10% of fetal bovine serum (FBS, Gibco) and 1% (v/v) penicillin/streptomycin (P/S, Gibco). AT-MSCs (ATCC® PCS-500–011™) were also cultured under the same conditions.…”

Therapeutic Applications of Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes

“…Hair follicle-derived mesenchymal stem cells (HFMSCs) have much in common with other MSCs. They can transform into various mesodermal cell types, mainly adipocytes, osteocytes, and chondrocytes [ 88 ]. HFMSCs can also differentiate into myocytes [ 89 ] and red blood cells [ 90 ].…”

“…After their isolation, as detailed in [ 88 ], HFMSCs are recognized using specific surface markers including CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105, and CD166. HFMSCs do not usually express hematopoietic markers such as CD31, CD34, and CD45 or keratinocyte markers like cytokeratin 15 (CK15) [ 90 ].…”

Exploring the Role of Dermal Sheath Cells in Wound Healing and Fibrosis

“…A particular subset of DSCs that remain after catagen and tightly wrap the telogen dermal papilla (DP) are a stem cell population that self-renews and replenishes the entire DS and contributes to the DP during the following anagen hair growth, and have been termed hair follicle dermal stem cells [8,40,43]. Additionally, in humans, DSCs derived from the lower part of the DS have been considered as hair follicle-derived mesenchymal stromal cells [44]. These cells express neural markers and possess stem cell properties, and are viewed as a promising source for immunomodulation [44].…”