Reconstruction of human dermal papilla-like tissue in vitro

Abstract

Dermal papilla (DP) plays an important role in the development and growth of hair follicles through epithelial–mesenchymal interactions. In animal studies, removal of lower hair follicles, including dermal papilla, resulted in discontinued hair growth and transplantation of isolated dermal papilla-induced hair growth.1,2 Previously, monolayer cultures of dermal papilla were established and used for the study of the biological properties of dermal papilla cells (DPCs).3,4 Cultured DPCs induced hair growth in vivo, suggesting that even cultured DPCs retain the capacity to induce hair growth.5 However, these monolayer cultures have some limitations. They do not have three-dimensional morphology in contrast to in vivo conditions. We have recently developed a new dermal equivalent without exogenous materials by culturing dermal fibroblasts alone in a special culture medium containing several factors.6 Based on this novel system, we attempted to reconstruct a three-dimensional dermal papilla–like tissue in vitro.