Metabolism of Freshly Isolated Human Hair Follicles Capable of Hair Elongation: A Glutaminolytic, Aerobic Glycolytic Tissue
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The metabolism of the human hair follicle was investigated in vitro under conditions that maintained glycogen and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content and the growth rate of the follicle at values observed in vivo. We have shown that only 10% of the total glucose utilized was oxidized to CO2 and 40% of this was oxidized via the pentose phosphate shunt. Although fatty acids and ketone bodies were oxidized by the hair follicle, they are poor energetic substitutes for glucose. Nor will fatty acids or ketone bodies sustain hair growth in vitro. Glutamine, however, was shown, both biochemically and by comparing growth rates, to be an important fuel with 23% of uptake being oxidized, generating a possible 2.16 +/- 0.32 nmoles ATP/follicle/h (mean +/- SEM) (glucose metabolism generates 4.54 +/- 0.61 nmoles ATP/follicle/h). Sixty-four percent of the glutamine taken up was calculated to be metabolized to lactate, showing that the hair follicle engages in both glycolysis and glutaminolysis. The glucose-fatty acid cycle appears to be unimportant in the hair follicle but our data indicates that a glucose-glutamine cycle does operate.
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After growing for 14 days on mouse skin, C. auris was mainly seen around or within hair follicle shafts, where higher CO2 levels emerging from epithelial metabolism and bacterial skin microbiome components may further support fungal growth.
“After growing for 14 days on mouse skin, C. auris was mainly seen around or within hair follicle shafts39, where higher CO2 levels emerging from epithelial metabolism and bacterial skin microbiome components may further support fungal growth40.”
From Candida auris skin tropism and antifungal resistance are mediated by carbonic anhydrase Nce103 (2025) · cites this paper as [40]
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The gut-skin axis in health and disease: A paradigm with therapeutic implications
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“seen in dividing normal lymphocyte [2,3], endothelial- [4], hair follicle [5] and fibroblast”
BackgroundCandida auris skin tropism and antifungal resistance are mediated by carbonic anhydrase Nce103
Phan-Canh, T., Coman, C., Lackner, M., Troppmair, N., Müller, C., Cerbu, D., Seiser, S., Penninger, P., Tsymala, I., Khunweeraphong, N., et al. (2025) · Nature Microbiology · doi:10.1038/s41564-025-02189-z · Cited by 16 · see citing works
“After growing for 14 days on mouse skin, C. auris was mainly seen around or within hair follicle shafts 39 , where higher CO 2 levels emerging from epithelial metabolism and bacterial skin microbiome components may further support fungal growth 40 .”
- Authors
- Williams, R., Philpott, M. P., & Kealey, T.
- Affiliations
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- ORCID
- Philpott, Michael P.
- Venue
- Journal of Investigative Dermatology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1993-06
- Volume
- 100
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 834-840
- ISSN
- 0022-202X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2059542071
- Cited by
- 75
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 1.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Investigative Dermatology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Urology › Hair Growth and Disorders
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Cancer, Hypoxia, and Metabolism
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Sperm and Testicular Function
- Keywords
- hair growth, glutaminolysis, aerobic glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, glucose oxidation, fatty acid oxidation, ketone bodies, lactic acid production, glucose-fatty acid cycle, ATP production, human hair follicle
- MeSH terms
- Adenine Nucleotides, Aerobiosis, Glucose, Glutamine, Glycogen, Hair, Humans, Hydroxybutyrates, Lactates, Oxidation-Reduction, Palmitic Acids, Pentoses, 3-Hydroxybutyric Acid
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