Bulge Cells of Rat Hair Follicles: Isolation, Cultivation, Morphological and Biological Features

Abstract

Objective: Transplants of multipotent stem cells have been shown to have a neuroprotectiveeffect after central nervous system injury. The bulge region of the hair follicle hasbeen reported as a putative source of hair follicle stem cells (HFSC) for many years;however, few studies have documented the properties of bulge derived cells in vitro untilnow. This study was conducted to isolate and culture bulge cells from rat hair folliclesand to determine the morphological and biological features of the cultured cells.Materials and Methods: The bulge region of the rat whisker was isolated and culturedin Dulbecco's modified eagle medium: nutrient mixture F-12 (DMEM/F12) supplementedwith epidermal growth factor (EGF), cholera toxin. Dissociated bulge stemcells were differentiated on coated substrates together with NT-3. The morphologicaland biological features of cultured bulge cells were observed by light microscopy andimmunocytochemistry methods.Results: Our results showed that newly proliferated cells could be observed on the 4thday after explantation. The expression of a neural progenitor marker, nestin, was seenbefore differentiation of the bulge cells. The differentiated cells expressed βIII-Tubulinand RIP, which are the markers of neural and glial lineages.Conclusion: The results indicated that the bulge cells cultured from the rat hair folliclehad the characteristics of stem cells and could differentiate into neural and glial lineages