In many cultures, a youthful look is strictly linked to strong and healthy hair. Source of the hair fibre is the hair follicle, a highly specialized skin appendage. Biological alterations because of intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli can destabilize this perfectly organized system, thus effecting hair growth or metabolism. Also, ageing could be characterized as a disturbance in this wellbalanced machinery. Albeit the predominant symptom of hair ageing, greying, is addressed in a plurality of research activities, further age-related changes, e.g. related to hair structure, remain obscure. Therefore, we characterized hair follicles of two volunteer panels (below 25 years, above 50 years) on the molecular level, especially focussing on alterations influencing gene expression of keratins and keratin-associated proteins. We showed that concordantly to other biological systems the hair follicle undergoes several modifications during the ageing process associated among others with a significant decline in these structural proteins. Providing strategies to fight against these agerelated changes is a challenge for hair science.

To evaluate changes leading to human wound reorganization we examined by immunohistochemistry the expression of several extracellular matrix (ECM) receptors (alpha2 chain of VLA-2, alpha3 chain of VLA-3, alpha6 chain of VLA-6, alphav, and beta1/beta3 chains of integrins) in a series of biopsies of human skin wounds healing by primary intention. The first time point investigated in this study was day 6 after injury, i.e. when a fibrin clot has been almost completely replaced by the granulation tissue. Gradual changes in integrin expression in granulation tissue and in the dermal scar were observed from the first time point investigated and were characterized by an up-regulation of alpha2beta1 complex, alphav integrin subunit, and beta1 integrin subunit. At day 27, the expression of the alpha2 chain of VLA-2 in the scar decreased. The expression of alphav and beta1 integrin subunits decreased but was still detectable by day 35. Vitronectin expression from day 7 onwards was also increased and colocalized to the area of the wounded dermis, and decreased by day 27. Our data suggests that, during the remodelling of the provisional matrix of the wound, dermal fibroblasts express transiently mainly alpha2 and alphav subunits of integrins associated with up-regulation of the beta1 subunit. It seems that up-regulation of some chains of integrins may be involved in the control of deposition of ECM components associated with wound healing.