6-Gingerol decreased the number of hair follicles in C57/BL6 mice.

<p>After depilation the back, the skin was treated with vehicle alone (control) or 1 mg/ml 6-gingerol every day for 10 days. The effect of 6-gingerol on the hair follicles was analyzed using staining with H&E at 20 days after depilation. (a)–(c) Longitudinal sections of the dorsal skins. (b)–(d) Transverse sections of the dorsal skins. Each scale bar represents 200 µm.</p

Growth inhibitory effect of 6-gingerol on the elongation of human hair shafts <i>in vitro.</i>

<p>Hair follicles were treated with different concentrations of 6-gingerol for 7 days and the elongation of human hair shafts was measured using a calibrated eyepiece graticule in a light microscope at a magnification of 20×. (n = 60)</p

Inhibition of anagen induction from telogen by 6-gingerol in C57BL/6 mice.

<p>After depilation, the skin on the back was treated with vehicle (right) or 1 mg/ml 6-gingerol (left) every day for 10 days. Photographs of each animal were taken every 5 days. Compared to the vehicle-treated control, 1 mg/ml 6-gingerol can significantly inhibit anagen induction from telogen. (A) Day zero, (B) 5 days, (C) 10 days, (D) 15 days and (E) 20 days after depilation. (F) Enlarged photograph of the left-hand mouse in (E).</p

Elongation of hair shafts with the indicated treatment (n = 60).

*<p>Versus the control.</p

The hair regeneration of cells from RFP mice when injected into GFP mice.

<p>(a) Abundant hair follicles were reconstructed when dermal and epidermal cells were injected together, but no hair follicles were reconstructed when epidermal cells (b) or dermal cells (c) were injected alone. (d) Fourteen days after the injection of dermal and epidermal cells: HE sections, arrows indicate the regenerated HFs (green) and the panniculus carnosus (black). (e, f) Frozen sections of reconstructed hair follicles observed under a fluorescence microscope, red indicates donor cells, green indicates host cells. (g) DAPI staining of reconstructed hair follicle. (h) Synthesis, arrows indicate the green fluorescent cells (white). Scale bars = 1 mm in a, b, and c; 100 μm in d, e, f, g, and h.</p

Hair reconstruction of the cell spheroids inside the capsules 10 d after the transplantation.

<p>(a) Cell spheres inside the capsules were acquired for single transplantation into nude mice. Thirty days after transplantation, mature hair follicles were reconstructed successfully. (b) Red fluorescence of the reconstructed hair follicle. (c) Green fluorescence figure of the reconstructed hair follicle. (d) DAPI staining of the reconstructed hair follicle. (e) Synthesis, arrows indicate GFP cells from host mice (red). Scale bars = 50 μm in a; and 100 μm in b, c, d, and e.</p

The cultivation of capsules <i>in vitro</i>.

<p>Dermal and epidermal cells were encapsulated in capsules (a). Cells in the capsules gradually aggregated into small multicellular aggregates (b). Dermal cells (red) and epidermal cells (green) were observed under an inverted fluorescence microscope (c, d). Four days later, multicellular aggregates merged into hybrid spheroids (e). Seven days later, the morphology of hybrid spheroids became stable (f, g [10 d after encapsulation]). Twenty days after capsules were cultured <i>in vitro</i>, cell spheroids were taken out of capsules (h). HE sections of cell spheres were made; neither hair follicles nor concentric circles were observed (i). Cell spheroids attached to the wall when reseeded in culture dishes; cells inside then migrated from the spheroids (j–l, 0 d, 2 d, and 7 d after reseeding, respectively). The capsules were cultured <i>in vitro</i> for 30 d, no apparent change was observed (m). Confocal micrographs taken at 7d (n–p). These images showed dermal (green) and epidermal cells (red) in cell spheroids. The z reconstituted image clearly showed that dermal cells were located in the center and epidermal cells were sorted to the surface (q). Scale bars = 1 mm in a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, j, l, and m; 200 μm in k; 100 μm in i, n, o, p, and q.</p

Mixed Ionic–Electronic Conduction Increases the Rate Capability of Polynaphthalenediimide for Energy Storage

Conjugated polymers offer a number of unique and useful properties for use as battery electrodes, and recent work has reported that conjugated polymers can exhibit excellent rate performance due to electron transport along the polymer backbone. However, the rate performance depends on both ion and electron conduction, and strategies for increasing the intrinsic ionic conductivities of conjugated polymer electrodes are lacking. Here, we investigate a series of conjugated polynapthalene dicarboximide (PNDI) polymers containing oligo(ethylene glycol) (EG) side chains that enhance ion transport. We produced PNDI polymers with varying contents of alkylated and glycolated side chains and investigated the impact on rate performance, specific capacity, cycling stability, and electrochemical properties through a series of charge–discharge, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry measurements. We find that the incorporation of glycolated side chains results in electrode materials with exceptional rate performance (up to 500C, 14.4 s per cycle) in thick (up to 20 μm), high-polymer-content (up to 80 wt %) electrodes. Incorporation of EG side chains enhances both ionic and electronic conductivities, and we found that PNDI polymers with at least 90% of NDI units containing EG side chains functioned as carbon-free polymer electrodes. This work demonstrates that polymers with mixed ionic and electronic conduction are excellent candidates for battery electrodes with good cycling stability and capable of ultra-fast rate performance