Primary Human Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells and Growth Media

These products are available in the US, Canada, and select European countries.

• Primary Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Culture System
• Cultivation Protocol for Human Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells
• Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Culture System Quality Control
• Materials for Primary Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Culture

Primary Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Culture System

Human follicle dermal papilla cells are found in the dermal papillae at the base of hair follicles. Embedded in a laminin-and-collagen IV-rich extracellular matrix, these cells are essential for induction and maintenance of hair growth. Since these cells express androgen receptors, they represent a well-suited model system for androgen-related research.

PromoCell^® Human Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells (HFDPC) are isolated principally from normal human dermis of the lateral scalp. Shortly after isolation, all Human Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells are cryopreserved at passage 2 (P2) using proprietary serum-free freezing medium, Cryo-SFM. Each cryovial contains at least 500,000 viable cells after thawing. Human Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells are also available as proliferating cell cultures made from cryopreserved cells that have been thawed and cultured for three days. Information on donor hair and skin color is available for each lot.

Cultivation Protocol for Human Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells

Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Growth Medium is a low-serum medium that has been developed for the in vitro cultivation of human follicle dermal papilla cells. The Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Growth Medium is available in two options: Medium (ready-to-use) and Medium Kit. The Medium (ready-to-use) option consists of a 500 mL bottle of Basal Medium and one vial of SupplementMix. The Medium Kit consists of a 500 mL bottle of Basal Medium and the SupplementPack (a set of individual vials containing pre-measured supplements) that gives the user complete control over the media formulation. Adding the SupplementMix or the SupplementPack to the Basal Medium constitutes the complete Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Growth Medium. The Basal Medium (with or without phenol red), SupplementMix, and SupplementPack are all also available for individual purchase.

Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Growth Medium Supplementation Details

The Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Growth Medium contains all of the growth factors and supplements needed for the optimal growth of human follicle dermal papilla cells, including basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and insulin (see the table below for detailed constituents). Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Growth Medium does not contain antibiotics or antimycotics and is formulated for use in an incubator with an atmosphere of 5% CO₂.

Final Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Growth Medium supplement concentrations (after addition to media)

Component	Final Concentration
Fetal Calf Serum	0.04 mL/mL
Bovine Pituitary Extract	0.004 mL/mL
Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (recombinant human)	1 ng/mL
Insulin (recombinant human)	5 μg/mL

Preparing Supplemented Media for Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells

• Thaw the Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Growth Medium SupplementMix or SupplementPack at
  15 – 25 °C.
• Aseptically mix the supplement solutions by gently pipetting up and down.
• Transfer the entire contents of each supplement to the Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Basal Medium.
• Close the bottle and swirl gently until a homogeneous mixture is achieved.

Storage and Stability of Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Products

• Upon arrival, immediately store the Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Basal Medium at 4 – 8 °C in the dark; do not freeze. Store the Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Growth Medium SupplementMix or SupplementPack at -20 °C.
• If stored as directed, the products are stable until the stated expiration date.
• Once supplements are added to the Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Basal Medium, the shelf life of the complete medium is six weeks at 4 – 8 °C. Do not freeze the complete medium.
• For use, prewarm only an aliquot of the complete Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Growth Medium needed for single use and keep the remaining medium refrigerated at 4 – 8 °C.
• After delivery, cryopreserved cells should be seeded directly or stored in liquid nitrogen.
• Proliferating cells must be processed immediately.

Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Culture System Quality Control

Rigid quality control tests are performed for each lot of Human Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells.

• Tested for cell morphology, adherence rate, and cell viability.
• Immunohistochemical tests for significant markers such as alkaline phosphatase are performed for each lot.
• Growth performance is tested through multiple passages up to 15 population doublings (PD) under culture conditions without antibiotics and antimycotics.
• Tested for the absence of HIV-1, HIV-2, HBV, HCV, HTLV-1, HTLV-2 and microbial contaminants (fungi, bacteria, and mycoplasma).
• A detailed certificate of analysis (CoA) for each lot is available for download.

Human Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Specifications

Product	Plating Density	Passage after Thawing	Marker	Population Doublings
Human Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells (HFDPC)	5,000 - 10,000 cells per cm²	P2	Alkaline phosphatase+	> 10

Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Growth Medium Quality Control

All lots of PromoCell^® Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Growth Medium are subjected to comprehensive quality control tests using primary human follicle dermal papilla cells. Each lot is checked for growth promoting activity, adherence rate and expected morphology of the tested cells. Approved in-house lots of media are used as a reference. In addition, all lots of media have been tested for the absence of microbial contaminants (fungi, bacteria, mycoplasma).

Intended Use for Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Growth System

These products are for in vitro use only and not for diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. For safety precautions please see appropriate MSDS.

Note: Due to their low serum content or the absence of serum, PromoCell^® media are not suitable for trypsin neutralization (when subculturing the cells, for example). Instead, we recommend using our DetachKit (C-41200, C-41210, C-41220), which contains HEPES BSS, Trypsin/EDTA and Trypsin Neutralizing Solution.

Materials for Primary Follicle Dermal Papilla Cell Culture