Tissue-engineered skin in the treatment of vitiligo lesions

Vitiligo is characterized by the loss of skin pigmentation due to the destr uction of melanocytes, Its treatment is usually difficult. For stable cases , melanocyte transplantation is the method of choice. A newly developed tre atment with recombined human/porcine skin methodology, permitting easy hand ling of the graft, is described in the present work. In five vitiligo patie nts, autologous epidermal cells were obtained from pigmented thin skin biop sies, The cells were cultured on a dried cell-free porcine dermis by the 3T 3 feeder layer technique. After 10 days melanocytes were regularly disperse d in confluent keratinocyte cultures. Upside-down delivery of epidermal cel ls was used. The epidermal layer was directly applied onto a dermabraded vi tiligo lesion, with porcine dermis covering the lesion. Pigmentation starte d to be visible 4-6 weeks after grafting. After using the above described m ethodology, the pigmentation appeared in the range of 65-80% of the grafted area, Additional UVA irradiation enhanced the treatment success up to 100% , The surgical vitiligo treatment appears to be a reasonable method of choi ce in stable vitiligo cases of a disease lasting for at least two years, wh ich means for approximately 5% of all vitiligo patients.