Augmenting Peripheral Nerve Regeneration Using Hair Follicle Stem Cells in Rats

Cell therapy is the most advanced treatment of peripheral nerve injury. This study aimed to determine the effects of transplantation of hair follicle stem cells on the regeneration of the sciatic nerve injury in rats. 

The bulge region of the rat whisker were isolated and cultured. Morphological and biological features of the cultured bulge cells were observed by light microscopy and immunocytochemistry methods. Percentages of CD34, K15, and nestin cell markers expression were demonstrated by flow cytometry. Rats were randomly divided into 3 groups of injury, epineurium, and epineurium with cells in which rat Hair Follicular Stem Cells (rHFSCs) were injected into the site of the nerve cut. HFSCs were labeled with Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), and double-labeling immunofluorescence was performed to study the survival and differentiation of the grafted cells. After 8 weeks, electrophysiological, histological, and immunocytochemical analysis assessments were performed. 

Rat hair follicle stem cells are suitable for cell culture, proliferation, and differentiation. The results suggest that transplantation of rat hair follicle stem cells can regenerate sciatic nerve injury; moreover, electrophysiology and histology examinations show that sciatic nerve repair was more effective in the epineurium with cell group than in the other experimental group (P<0.05).

The achieved results propose that hair follicle stem cells improve axonal growth and functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury.