IN-VITRO ENGINEERING OF HUMAN SKIN-LIKE TISSUE

Coverage of large, full-thickness burns presents a challenge for the s urgeon due to the lack of availability of the patient's own skin. Curr ently, tissue engineering offers the possibility of performing a suita ble therapeutic wound coverage after early burn excision by using cult ured keratinocyte sheets supported by a dermal layer. The aim of this study was to develop and characterize a skin substitute composed of bo th epidermal and dermal elements. For this purpose we grew keratinocyt es and fibroblasts separately for 15 days within two different types o f biomaterials. Cells then were co-cultured for an additional period o f 15 days, after which samples were taken and processed with either cl assic or immunohistochemical stainings. Results showed that (1) human fibroblasts and keratinocytes can be cultured on hyaluronic acid-deriv ed biomaterials and that (2) the pattern of expression of particular d ermal-epidermal molecules is similar to that found in normal skin. The data from this study suggest that our skin equivalent might be useful in the treatment of both bums and chronic wounds. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.