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A previously unseen network of cells plays a key role in helping hair grow from the roots, according to research that could rewrite textbooks and lead to new discoveries. hair loss treatment.
Until now, people still think human hair Appears due to pushing upward from the roots.
However, this new study used advanced 3D imaging Revealed that each hair is pulled upward by a coordinated network of moving cells.
“For decades, it has been thought that hair is pushed out by dividing cells in the hair bulb,” says Inês Sequeira of Queen Mary University of London.
“We found that it is actively pulled upward by the surrounding tissue, almost like a tiny motor,” said Dr. Sequeira, an author on the study published in the journal. Nature Communications.
In the study, scientists stopped cell division within the hair follicles and expected hair growth to slow or stop. Instead, they saw growth continuing at nearly the same pace.
But when they damaged actin, which allows cells to contract and move, they found that hair growth dropped by more than 80 percent.
Computer simulations confirmed that the pull of actin, which is linked to the coordinated movement of the hair follicle’s outer layer, is key to the observed speed of the hair’s upward movement.
“This approach revealed a spiral downward movement of outer root sheath cells into the lower bulb region,” the study states.
“We propose a mechanical model in which pulling forces induced by the outer root sheath contribute to the extrusion of hair fibers.”
Using advanced real-time 3D time-lapse microscopy, researchers can observe complex, dynamic biological processes within hair follicles.
The technique allowed them to observe cell division that would otherwise be impossible to infer from discrete observations.
“This approach makes it possible to model locally generated forces,” said Nicolas Tissot, another author of the study.
Thomas Bornschlögl, another author of the study, said the observations suggest that hair growth is not driven solely by cell division, but rather that the outer root sheath “actively pulls the hair upward.”
Researchers hope that new insights into the mechanical forces behind hair growth will help design hair loss treatments that target hair follicles.
“This new view of hair follicle mechanics opens up new opportunities to study hair diseases, test drugs, and advance tissue engineering and regenerative medicine,” said Dr. Bornschlögl.
The scientists said the imaging method used in the study could also allow testing of different drugs and treatments in real time.