Zhou Youshiqi, Chen Boyu, Ye Shijia, Sun Haoyu, Wang Shuyue, Diao Xiaozhen, Wu Wenhui
Department of Marine Biopharmacology, College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China.
Putuo Sub-Center of International Joint Research Center for Marine Biological Sciences, Zhoushan, China.
Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2025 Jun 12;13:1546779. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1546779. eCollection 2025.
Hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) play crucial roles in hair growth and are expected to be potential targets in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.
This study aims to investigate the positive effect on hair growth by the recombinant human collagen complex (RHC complex), composed of rhCOL III, rhCOL XVII, and rhCOL XXI, along with nicotinamide, both and , by HFSCs and rat models. The survival rate, function, and differentiation of HFSCs were investigated.
The CCK-8 experiment showed that the RHC complex was non-toxic to HFSCs, and the cell survival rate exceeded 80% after 8 and 16 h of treatment. The ELISA method showed that the RHC complex significantly increased the intracellular vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels. In addition, the increase in the content of trichohyalin (a key structural protein of hair) indicates that the structure and function of hair follicles may be enhanced. The expression levels of β-integrin and p63 were significantly upregulated, which are crucial for cell adhesion, migration, and maintenance of HFSCs homeostasis. In the rat model, significant hair growth was observed after a 7-day treatment period. The period of vigorous hair growth in rats was selected for immunofluorescence, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining analysis. The results showed that the RHC complex could promote the expression of Integrin, Laminin and Perlecan, which were conducive to maintaining the stability of the microenvironment of HFSCs. Additionally it facilitated the migration and differentiation of HFSCs, as evidenced by an increased number of hair follicles in HE-stained skin tissues. In conclusion, the RHC complex exhibited high HFSCs survival rates and enhanced the expression of HFSCs-associated factors and basement membrane proteins. These properties make the RHC complex a promising novel ingredient for promoting hair growth, preventing hair loss, and maintaining hair health.
毛囊干细胞（HFSCs）在头发生长中起关键作用，有望成为再生医学和组织工程中的潜在靶点。
本研究旨在通过由重组人III型胶原蛋白（rhCOL III）、重组人XVII型胶原蛋白（rhCOL XVII）和重组人XXI型胶原蛋白（rhCOL XXI）以及烟酰胺组成的重组人胶原蛋白复合物（RHC复合物），研究其对毛囊干细胞和大鼠模型毛发生长的积极作用。研究了毛囊干细胞的存活率、功能和分化情况。
CCK-8实验表明，RHC复合物对毛囊干细胞无毒，处理8小时和16小时后细胞存活率超过80%。ELISA法表明，RHC复合物显著提高了细胞内血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）水平。此外，毛透明蛋白（头发的一种关键结构蛋白）含量的增加表明毛囊的结构和功能可能得到增强。β-整合素和p63的表达水平显著上调，这对细胞黏附、迁移和毛囊干细胞内环境稳态的维持至关重要。在大鼠模型中，治疗7天后观察到明显的毛发生长。选择大鼠毛发生长旺盛期进行免疫荧光、酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）和苏木精-伊红（HE）染色分析。结果表明，RHC复合物可促进整合素、层粘连蛋白和基底膜聚糖的表达，有利于维持毛囊干细胞微环境的稳定性。此外，它促进了毛囊干细胞的迁移和分化，HE染色的皮肤组织中毛囊数量增加证明了这一点。总之，RHC复合物表现出高毛囊干细胞存活率，并增强了毛囊干细胞相关因子和基底膜蛋白的表达。这些特性使RHC复合物成为促进毛发生长、预防脱发和维持头发健康的一种有前景的新型成分。
