Io la vedo così (sentiamo poi che dice Marlin): dato che il follicolo è un organo che, periodicamente, una volta che subentra il telogen si rinnova a partire dalle staminali: queste proliferando e differenziandosi ricreano tutti le cellule specializzate del follicolo di partenza (keratinociti, fibroblasti, melanociti ecc...). Agendo sulle staminali e facendole proliferare con questo lipide si potrebbe mantenere il follicolo vitale e scongiurare l'apoptosi.
A hair follicle is part of the skin that grows hair by packing old cells together. Attached to the follicle is a sebaceous gland, a tiny sebum-producing gland found everywhere except on the palms, lips and soles of the feet. The thicker density of hair, the more sebaceous glands are found.
At the base of the follicle is a large structure that is called the papilla. The papilla is made up mainly of connective tissue and a capillary loop. Cell division in the papilla is either rare or non-existent. Around the papilla is the hair matrix, a collection of epithelial cells often interspersed with melanocytes. Cell division in the hair matrix is responsible for the cells that will form the major structures of the hair fibre and the inner root sheath. The hair matrix epithelium is one of the fastest growing cell populations in the human body, which is why some forms of chemotherapy that kill dividing cells or radiotherapy may lead to temporary hair loss, by their action on this rapidly dividing cell population. The papilla is usually ovoid or pear shaped with the matrix wrapped completely around it except for a short stalk-like connection to the surrounding connective tissue that provides access for the capillary.
Also attached to the follicle is a tiny bundle of muscle fiber called the arrector pili that is responsible for causing the follicle and hair to become more perpendicular to the surface of the skin, and causing the follicle to protrude slightly above the surrounding skin. This process results in goose bumps (or goose flesh). Stem cells are located at the junction of the arrector and the follicle, and are principally responsible for the ongoing hair production during a process known as the Anagen stage.
da
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_follicle
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...uids=17460410&query_hl=17&itool=pubmed_docsum
e At the onset of phases of hair growth, signals from the
dermal papilla are thought to instruct epithelial stem cells residing
in the bulge region of the follicle to divide transiently (Oliver and
Jahoda, 1988; Cotsarelis et al, 1990; Wilson et al, 1994; Lyle et al,
1998). Stem cell progeny migrate to the base of the follicle, where
they surround the dermal papilla, forming the hair matrix (Oshima
et al, 2001; Taylor et al, 2000). In response to further signals from
the dermal papilla, matrix cells proliferate and begin the process of
terminal differentiation, moving upward in the follicle and forming
the hair shaft and inner root sheath (Oliver and Jahoda, 1988;
Taylor et al, 2000; Oshima et al, 2001). Pigmentation of the hair
results from the activity of melanocytes, which reside in the hair
follicle bulb and deposit pigment granules into the hair shaft as it
forms. Periods of hair growth are followed by a regression phase,
when the lower part of the follicle undergoes programmed cell
death (Cotsarelis, 1997), and a resting phase, before onset of a new
growth phase.
http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v118/n2/pdf/5601383a.pdf
Marlin, devo avertelo già linkato da qualche parte.
]) e dell'Un Milano-Bicocca.