Organ culture of human hair follicles derived from different areas of the body.

Whole human hair follicles derived from the scalp, chin, axilla, and pubis were organ cultured. The hair follicles were dissected from excised normal skin pieces and placed in 1.0 ml of incubation medium in a closed 5 ml glass tube under an atmosphere of air + 5% CO2. The tube was rolled at 15 rpm and 36 degrees C. The hair follicles from each area of the body grew linearly for about 6 days, both in serum-plus and serum-free media with or without fibroblast growth factor (FGF). The growth rates were slightly slower in serum-free media than in serum-plus media. No significant differences in the growth rates of hair follicles in organ culture were seen in different areas of the body. FGF did not affect the growth rate or the culture term of the hair follicles in vitro. This is the first report of human hair follicles derived from chin, axilla, and pubis growing well for about a week in organ culture.