Open AccessDevelopment of a Perfusion Platform for Dynamic Cultivation of in vitro Skin Models
Author(s) -
Kay Strüver,
Wolfgang Frieß,
Sarah Hedtrich
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
skin pharmacology and physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.703
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1660-5535
pISSN - 1660-5527
DOI - 10.1159/000476071
Subject(s) - involucrin , stratum corneum , human skin , dermis , barrier function , skin equivalent , filaggrin , in vitro , biomedical engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , occludin , biophysics , artificial skin , epidermis (zoology) , tight junction , chemistry , pathology , immunology , biology , anatomy , medicine , keratinocyte , biochemistry , atopic dermatitis , genetics
Reconstructed skin models are suitable test systems for toxicity testing and for basic investigations on (patho-)physiological aspects of human skin. Reconstructed human skin, however, has clear limitations such as the lack of immune cells and a significantly weaker skin barrier function compared to native human skin. Potential reasons for the latter might be the lack of mechanical forces during skin model cultivation which is performed classically in static well-plate setups. Mechanical forces and shear stress have a major impact on tissue formation and, hence, tissue engineering. In the present work, a perfusion platform was developed allowing dynamic cultivation of in vitro skin models. The platform was designed to cultivate reconstructed skin at the air-liquid interface with a laminar and continuous medium flow below the dermis equivalent. Histological investigations confirmed the formation of a significantly thicker stratum corneum compared to the control cultivated under static conditions. Moreover, the skin differentiation markers involucrin and filaggrin as well as the tight junction proteins claudin 1 and occludin showed increased expression in the dynamically cultured skin models. Unexpectedly, despite improved differentiation, the skin barrier function of the dynamically cultivated skin models was not enhanced compared with the skin models cultivated under static conditions.