Recent studies strongly suggest that the cannabinoid system is a key player in cell growth control. Since the organ-culture of human hair follicles (HF) offers an excellent, clinically relevant model for complex tissue interaction systems, we have asked whether the cannabinoid system plays a role in hair growth control. Here, we show that human scalp HF, intriguingly, are both targets and sourc...

Several forms of hair loss in humans are characterized by the inability of hair follicles to enter the growth phase (anagen) of the hair cycle after being arrested in the resting phase (telogen). Current pharmacologic therapies have been largely unsuccessful in targeting pathways that can be selectively modulated to induce entry into anagen. We show that topical treatment of mouse and human ski...

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy is used to determine the distribution and concentration of selected compounds in intact human hair. By generating images based on ratiometric CARS contrast, quantitative concentration maps of both water and externally applied d-glycine are produced in the cortex of human hair fibers. Both water and d-glycine are found to homogeneously dist...

Skin and hair colour mostly depend on the activity of melanogenic melanocytes. Numerous proteins involved in melanocyte function have been identified including pMel-17, Mitf-M, Sox10, tyrosinase, tyrosinase related proteins-1 (TRP-1) and -2 (TRP-2). In the hair, melanogenic activity occurs only during the anagen phase of the hair cycle. In order to evaluate the implications of some known melano...

Lead and Chromium levels in human hair were determined by atomic absorption spectrotometery. Comparison of metal contents on human hair was made between people living in plains and hills areas of Vellore district, Tamilnadu, India as a function of color of hair and geographical location.

The human type II hair keratin subfamily consists of six individual members and can be divided into two groups. The group A members hHb1, hHb3, and hHb6 are structurally related, whereas group C members hHb2, hHb4, and hHb5 are rather distinct. Specific antisera against the individual hair keratins were used to establish the two-dimensional catalog of human type II hair keratins. In this catalo...

Introduction Human hair is one of many keratinous fibers. Its diameter typically varies between 40 to 150 μm. The surface of a hair fiber is covered with the thin scale-like cells, the so-called cuticle, and the inside of the cuticle is mainly filled with the cortical cells which are composed of the intermediate filaments (IFs) surrounded by the matrix proteins. There are various fiber shapes i...

BACKGROUND CD1d belongs to a family of antigen presenting molecules that are structurally and distantly related to the classic major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) proteins. However, unlike MHC I molecules, which bind protein antigens, CD1d binds to lipid and glycolipid antigens. CD1d is expressed by cells of lymphoid and myeloid origin, and by cells outside of the lymphoid and myel...