Neovascularization is regarded as a pre-requisite in successful tissue grafting of both hard
and soft tissues alike. This study considers mesenchymal stem cells from hair follicle outer root
sheath (MSCORS) as powerful tools with a neat angiogenic potential that could in the future have
wide scopes of neo-angiogenesis and tissue engineering. Autologous MSCORS were obtained ex
vivo by non-invasive plucking of hair and they were differentiated in vitro into both endothelial
cells and vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs), two crucial cellular components of vascular grafts.
Assessment was carried out by immunostaining, confocal laser-scanning microscopy, gene expression
analysis (qRT-PCR), quantitative analysis of anastomotic network parameters, and cumulative
length quantification of immunostained α-smooth muscle actin-containing stress fibers (α -SMA).
In comparison to adipose mesenchymal stem cells, MSCORS exhibited a significantly higher differentiation
efficiency according to key quantitative criteria and their endothelial derivatives demonstrated
a higher angiogenic potential. Furthermore, the cells were capable of depositing their own
extracellular matrix in vitro in the form of a membrane-cell sheet, serving as a base for viable coculture
of endothelial cells and SMCs integrated with their autologous matrix. Differentiated
MSCORS hereby provided a complex autologous cell-matrix construct that demonstrates vascularization
capacity and can serve as a base for personalized repair grafting applications.