ELEMENT PROFILES OF MOUSE HAIR - A CONCERN FOR USING HAIR AS A TIMETABLE REPOSITORY

Element profile patterns of growth and nongrowth phase hair were obtai ned for the C57L/J male mouse using a proton microprobe. Growth phase hair profiles of Cl, S, K and P show that these elements are concentra ting in regions of higher pigmentation. Calcium is restricted to the m edulla region in the hair shaft. For nongrowth phase hair, the profile s of Cl and S are essentially unchanged, whereas K and P are depleted in the hair shaft and are concentrating in the cornified root sheath. The element patterns found for the nongrowth phase profiles of mouse h air show striking similarities to previously reported patterns for gro wth phase profiles of human hair.